BritBox UK and International continue to go different ways, with the two services coming under two different owners. The move could pave the way for the BritBox brand to disappear altogether.
- BritBox International now fully owned by BBC Studios.
- BritBox UK – now part of ITVX Premium – is owned by ITV, who will be closing the BritBox UK website and app next month
- ITV content will continue to be available internationally on BritBox
- Move could pave the way for the BritBox brand to disappear altogether.
ITV has sold its 50% share in BritBox International to its joint venture partner BBC Studios in a £255m transaction.
The international streaming service first debuted in North America before being rolled out in various other territories around the world, including the UK.
BritBox UK was launched under a different ownership structure, with the BBC only having a 10% share, before ITV took full control of the UK service in 2022. ITV then incorporated BritBox UK into ITVX Premium.
ITV has sold its stake in BritBox International as it wants to focus on its three core pillars of ITVX, ITV Studios and its broadcast channels (i.e. ITV1). The announcement comes ahead of the publication of full financial results next week.
BritBox International contained a range of ITV programmes, even making some of its daytime shows available to US audiences. ITV will continue to license programmes to BritBox International.
What happens to BritBox International?
It is now 100% owned by BBC Studios, which includes the former BBC Worldwide business that was tasked at making money by selling BBC content abroad.
BritBox International has 3.75 million subscribers in the eight countries it operates in. It is still a relative minnow among the streamers. Netflix has over 200 million subscribers.
BritBox operates in the USA, Canada, Australia, South Africa, Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden.
What it means for subscribers
- Your service will continue to feature a range of programmes, not just from the BBC, but also from other UK broadcasters including ITV and Channel 4.
- This is similar to existing arrangements covering linear TV channels, e.g. BBC channels abroad include individual programmes that are shown on non-BBC channels in the UK.
- BritBox International will buy in the rights for content in each area it operates in through licensing agreements with various broadcasters.
However, the move does pave the way for the BBC to eventually align the BritBox brand to the main BBC brand in the future. The BBC isn’t however yet talking about a global version of the iPlayer though.
What happens to BritBox UK?
The service has been under 100% control of ITV since March 2022. Since then, it’s become part of ITVX Premium.
ITV has stopped creating original content for BritBox (e.g. Spitting Image). Instead, BritBox has become a library of older UK television shows.
For legacy subscribers, the standalone BritBox UK app and website will close next month (April 2024).
ITVX contains a BritBox branded area that can be accessed on all platforms that support ITVX Premium.
What it means for subscribers
- BritBox on ITVX Premium continues to offer a range of classic TV content, including older programmes from the BBC.
- This is similar to existing arrangements with linear TV channels that licence older BBC content to be shown on their channels.
- An ITVX Premium subscription is the same price as a standalone BritBox UK subscription, but also includes access to ad-free content from the rest of ITVX, content from StudioCanal presents and 100s of other shows not available on the free version of ITVX.
However, the latest developments does pave the way for the BritBox brand to eventually disappear with programmes becoming fully absorbed into ITVX or an ITVX-branded sub-folder of content.
There’s currently no talk of losing non-ITV content on BritBox UK in ITVX. The BBC has a long-term agreement with ITV to supply content to BritBox UK.
But that set up is not guaranteed to last forever.
Looking at the broadcasters that have helped supply BritBox UK with programmes, the BBC is facing a possible switch to at least partial subscription funding by the end of the decade. Channel 4 wants to increase subscribers to Channel 4+. Meanwhile, Channel 5 under the ownership of Paramount is seeking to boost its own streaming libary this year when My5 combines with Pluto TV.
Therefore, broadcasters might want to keep hold of more of the programmes they own to monetise them on their own streaming platforms. However, that won’t stop programmes made by third-party independent production companies appearing in other places.
Corporate comment
Carolyn McCall, ITV CEO said:
“The sale of 50 per cent of BritBox International means ITV is focused on its core strategic goals of continuing to build on ITVX’s success and growing ITV Studios. I would like to thank the BritBox International team for making the company such a success and particularly CEO Reemah Sakaan for her leadership, drive and vision.”
Tom Fussell, BBC Studios CEO, added:
“This is an important acquisition for us. We are taking full ownership of a successful, growing service we know well and that fits with our stated ambition to double the size of our business. BritBox International has British content at its heart and it generates and satisfies demand for British shows outside the UK. We will continue to make significant investments in the future to deliver long term value to the BBC. ”
Marc Thornham
[Image: britbox publicity]