British television broadcasters BBC and ITV are teaming up to challenge Netflix by bringing a new streaming service called BritBox to the UK.
Already available in USA and Canada with over 500,000 subscribers, BritBox will soon give UK users access to a massive library of British content content from the likes of BBC and ITV. This should include the likes of Doctor Who, Love Island, Fawlty Towers and Red Dwarf.
With many of these boxsets already available through other streaming services, it’s likely BBC and ITV will revoke the licenses of their shows with the likes of Netflix in order to made BritBox a more tempting proposition.
BritBox is also expected to commission original content in the future too, with ITV reportedly investing £65m into the service. Importantly though, this won’t be replacing the likes of iPlayer and ITV Hub, which will both still feature recently released content such as Match of the Day and Strictly Come Dancing for no extra fee other than the licence fee.
Related: Best TVs 2019
While BritBox will require a monthly subscription, BBC and ITV are yet to reveal how much it will cost in the UK, although the American monthly fee of $7 should give an indication on price point.
While some may feel aggrieved they’ll need to pay for the service despite already forking out for a license fee, BBC sees BritBox as an alternative to buying DVDs of old British television instead of being part of the package of what the license fee currently covers.
BBC director general Tony Hall said, “I am delighted that the BBC and ITV are working together on something truly special – BritBox. A new streaming service delivering the best home-grown content to the public who love it best.”
Will you be subscribing to the BritBox streaming service? Let us know @TrustedReviews on Twitter.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
