BBC Worldwide and ITV Launch Subscription Video-On-Demand Service Delivering Largest Collection of British Programming Available to U.S. Audiences
BritBox
Offering Expertly Curated Playlists and Programs as soon as 24-Hours After Airing Across the Pond, BritBox is the Premier Destination for Lovers of British TV
Timeless Comedies Like Blackadder Starring Rowan Atkinson, the Original U.K. Version of The Office with Ricky Gervais, Gavin & Stacey Starring James Corden, as well as Are You Being Served? and As Time Goes By
Exclusive Home of the Best British Detective Dramas Agatha Christie's Poirot: The Early Cases, Miss Marple, Inspector Morse, Sherlock Holmes, and Cracker
U.S. Premiere of Compelling New Drama New Blood, Historical Drama Tutankhamun, and Literary Adaptation The Moonstone, as well as Season Premieres of Drama Favorites Cold Feet and Silent Witness
NEW YORK, March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- It is a service truly fit for a queen. BBC Worldwide, the commercial arm of the BBC, and ITV, the UK's biggest commercial broadcaster, today launch BritBox, a new subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) streaming service with the most comprehensive collection of British television, across all genres, available anywhere in the U.S. With thousands of hours of programming at launch – the majority exclusive, and many new shows added weekly – the service features U.S. premieres of highly sought-after shows; a "Now" category, which serves up British soaps and other programs as soon as 24-hours after UK broadcast; and a treasure-trove of iconic series that have made the BBC and ITV the world's foremost producers of television content.
"BBC and ITV are known for a vast array of diverse and award-winning programming that fans in the U.S. love and want to watch," said Soumya Sriraman, President, BritBox. "Those fans now have a one-of-a-kind SVOD service option that offers a single point of access to an extensive collection of outstanding British programming to discover and enjoy."
In addition to an expansive catalog, BritBox features specially curated playlists, like "Very British Beginnings," which showcases actors such as Daniel Craig, Emily Blunt, and James Corden early in their careers. Other playlists that help fans discover new favorites include "Best of British Comedy," "Iconic Detectives," and "Literary Adaptations."
BritBox is now available for $6.99 per month – after an introductory free trial period – on responsive web, AppleTV, iPhone, iPad, and Android mobile phones and tablets – with Roku® and Chromecast shortly after launch.
BritBox subscribers can expect:
Best of British Dramas and Comedies:
- Featured in March's spotlight playlist, "Iconic Detectives," BritBox is the exclusive destination to binge BBC's Miss Marple starring Joan Hickson, Inspector Morse with John Thaw, and Sherlock Holmes starring Jeremy Brett. Other titles include Agatha Christie's Poirot: The Early Cases starring David Suchet, Prime Suspect starring Helen Mirren, Scott & Bailey starring Suranne Jones, Cracker with Robbie Coltrane, Rosemary and Thyme with Felicity Kendal and Pam Ferris, Dalziel & Pascoe with Warren Clarke, and the premiere of The Moonstone, based on Wilkie Collins's much-loved novel.
- Beloved comedy series, such as Are You Being Served?, As Time Goes By, and the previously announced Keeping Up Appearances, are exclusive to the service. All-time favorites including Blackadder with Rowan Atkinson, the original version of The Office with Ricky Gervais, Gavin & Stacey with James Corden, and Absolutely Fabulous featuring the amazing Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley will also be available.
- BritBox has the complete library of, and is the exclusive home to, the incredible adventures of Sharpe, starring the award-winning and highly-acclaimed actor Sean Bean set during the Napoleonic wars of 19th century Spain.
- Exclusive to BritBox are iconic dramas including original Upstairs Downstairs and Brideshead Revisited. Other dramas will include the more recent 2010 – 2012 Upstairs Downstairs, Desperate Romantics, and Bleak House.
U.S. Premieres:
- As previously announced, BritBox features U.S. premiere New Blood from acclaimed writer Anthony Horowitz, and Tutankhamun from BAFTA award-winning writer Guy Burt. The service will also feature season premieres of drama favorites Cold Feet and Silent Witness.
The "Now" Category
- BritBox's "Now" category features an amazing collection of soaps and series that, for the first time ever, will be available as soon as 24 hours after their UK broadcast, including EastEnders, Emmerdale, Holby City, and Casualty – with more to be announced.
About BritBox
BritBox is a digital video subscription service offering the largest collection of British TV in the U.S. Created by two British content powerhouses – BBC Worldwide, the commercial arm of the BBC, and ITV, the UK's biggest commercial broadcaster – the service features iconic favorites, exclusive premieres, and current series and soaps available a day after they air in the UK. BritBox also offers expert curation and playlists that enable fans to easily find programs they know and discover new favorites on web, mobile, tablet and connected TV's. AMC Networks is an investor in BritBox.
About BBC Worldwide
BBC Worldwide is the main commercial arm and a wholly owned subsidiary of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). Its vision is to build the BBC's brands, audiences, commercial returns and reputation across the world. This is achieved through investing in, commercialising and showcasing content from the BBC around the world, in a way that is consistent with BBC standards and values. The business also champions British creativity globally. In 2015/16 BBC Worldwide generated headline profits of £133.8m and headline sales of £1,029.4m and returned £222.2m to the BBC.
For more detailed performance information please see our Annual Review webpage: bbcworldwide.com/annual-review/.
About ITV
ITV is an integrated producer broadcaster and the largest commercial television network in the UK. It is the home of popular television from the biggest entertainment events, to original drama, major sport, landmark factual series and independent news. It operates a family of channels including ITV, ITVBe, ITV2, ITV3 and ITV4 and CITV, which are broadcast free-to-air, as well as the pay channel ITV Encore. ITV is also focused on delivering its programming via the ITV Hub, mobile devices, video on demand and third party platforms. ITV Studios is a global production business, creating and selling programmes and formats from offices in the UK, US, Australia, France, Germany, the Nordics and the Netherlands. It is the largest and most successful commercial production company in the UK, the largest independent non-scripted indie in the US and ITV Studios Global Entertainment is a leading international distribution businesses.
Roku is a registered trademark of Roku, Inc. in the U.S. and in other countries.
SOURCE BritBox
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