BritBox execs talk to TVBEurope about todays launch
Jenny Priestley 4 hours ago
BritBox execs talk to TVBEurope about today's launch
target=_blank title=Share on LinkedIn class=share-linkedin> BritBox execs talk to TVBEurope about today's launch
https://www.tvbeurope.com/tvbeverywhere/britbox-nowhere-else-will-you-find-as-much-great-british-tv-and-film title=Share via Email class=share-email>
BritBox has officially launched to subscribers today, and has confirmed deals with Channel 4, Samsung, BT and EE.
The British Netflix' has signed a partnership deal with Channel 4 for content from All 4 and Film4. All 4 will launch on the streaming service in spring 2020, with new series being available 31 days following transmission of the last episode on Channel 4. Film4 will follow later in 2020.
BT and EE will offer BritBox to customers across their range of services in the coming months while Samsung will be the first connected TV to launch the BritBox app.
BritBox will stream in HD on all platforms and high bitrate full HD on big screens, with adaptive bitrate to reduce buffering and improve the experience on slower broadband connections. Each account can support up to five simultaneous streams. Additional functionality including offline downloads on mobile devices will be added in 2020.
Speaking to journalists on a conference call to mark the launch, Reemah Sakaan, group director ITV SVoD, was asked what success looks like for BritBox. It's probably not wise to be putting out a success criteria yet, she said. But it's fair to say we've got ambitious plans for BritBox, they're really realistic, and we are confident about establishing a really great business. Unlike some of the other streaming ventures, we very much intend for this to be profitable.
The back-end of BritBox has been built by OTT specialist Deltatre whose UX management platform AXIS is powering the user experience. According to Sakaan, BritBox will make sure that its users can find the content they want as easily as possible. There's some really cool stuff that the team has built from a technical point of view. One of the things that we really know is that quite often in streaming services, they are dominated by US shows and US talent and UK audiences can feel a bit lost.
With BritBox, you're immediately in a world populated by people and places that you know, and talent is a really, really important part of that. So we put that really at the heart of our navigation. There's a browse by actor feature, which is a really great visual way of saying, Oh, you know, I love John Simm, what else is he in?' It's very visual pictorially led.
BritBox obviously comes to the market with an extremely strong content offering in terms of shows that British viewers already know and love. At launch it includes full box-sets of Downton Abbey, Broadchurch, Only Fools and Horses, Gavin & Stacey and Love Island. From Boxing Day, all 627 available episodes of classic Doctor Who, originally broadcast between 1963 and 1989, will be available to stream for the first time ever.
According to Paul Moore, group communications and corporate affairs director at ITV, the content available on BritBox will be the differentiator in an increasingly crowded streaming market: The point of BritBox is nowhere else will you find as much great British TV and film, he said. I think that is the differentiator, the sheer scale and quality of what's available on BritBox eclipses the British content available on any other streamer or platform, and I think the consumer will get that.
We start today with a really extensive catalogue, added Sakaan. And we've got a whole range of exclusive shows on BritBox today, shows that you can't find anywhere else. We're also premiering a new series called Lambs of God, which has never been shown in the UK. We also have premiere episodes of Midsomer Murders, which haven't gone out on linear yet, and we're showing them first. There's a real selection of exclusives that you can't get anywhere else from the service already today.
Asked by TVBEurope if there are plans to launch original content for the platform, Sakaan said: We will be commissioning brand new series that will only exist on BritBox. They take slightly longer to make, obviously, and so we are in the throes of developing those and they'll be coming in 2020.
Sakaan also confirmed to TVBEurope that ITV is in talks about launching BritBox in to other international markets. We think BritBox is a great idea. It's really clear what it is and there are some natural next markets that we're having a look at, but it's only at that stage at the moment.
In terms of the future for BritBox, Moore said that as it's currently at day one, they're not willing to make any predictions just yet. We think we can build this venture to scale. What it will look like in a year's time, let alone five years time, I honestly wouldn't want to predict but we will build and shape it depending on what the consumers are telling us.
We've already done amazing deals with people like EE and Samsung. Those are all the building blocks that will enable us to get to scale. But, you know, we don't want to say today what we might look like in a year, let alone two or three years time.
SubscribeFor more stories like this, and to keep up to date with all our market leading news, features and analysis, sign up to our newsletter here.
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
04/06/2026
Sony Electronics is introducing the SRG-AS10, a 4K 60p-compatible PTZ auto-frami...
04/06/2026
This recent grad from Spring, TX, led creative-video output for the Aggies' men's basketball team last season and has been producing video and creating ...
04/06/2026
For the first time at a women's golf major, every player in the field will r...
04/06/2026
Three Panasonic PT-RQ45 40,000-lumen 3-Chip DLP projectors made their first live...
04/06/2026
Bitmovin and Akamai have announced a collaboration with NRJ Group, a French mult...
04/06/2026
Telestream will exhibit at InfoComm 2026 (Booth N7952), demonstrating media work...
04/06/2026
Sony has announced the development of RIALTO 65, a 65mm format image sensor block for the VENICE 2 digital cinema camera, targeting release in the first half of...
04/06/2026
KOKUSAI DENKI Electric America will exhibit at InfoComm 2026 (Booth N8025, June ...
04/06/2026
Bell Media's TSN and RDS are the exclusive Canadian broadcasters of FIFA Wor...
04/06/2026
The Challenge: Receiving Heavy Media Files From Road Games Quickly and ReliablyT...
04/06/2026
MASV, a managed file transfer platform used in broadcast and live sports product...
04/06/2026
NESN has announced the appointment of Fahad Haider as Vice President of Operations and Engineering. Haider returns to NESN, where he previously served as Vice P...
04/06/2026
David J. Halberstam, who spent almost 50 years in sports as a broadcaster and an executive, died June 2 after a years-long battle with brain cancer.
Over his l...
04/06/2026
Although collegiate production programs are tasked with delivering high-quality ...
04/06/2026
California studio, two production trucks, global distribution system are combine...
04/06/2026
New global program empowers and supports storytellers through scriptwriting course and access to industry experts
TikTok and Sundance Institute today announce...
04/06/2026
Steinberg DAWs now boast in-depth Tonalic integration
Celemony's innovative virtual session musician plug-in has just received an update that brings ARA...
04/06/2026
Get Hands-On With Over 20 Mic Brands
GearExpo UK is fast approaching, and if you've been looking for a chance to check out some new mics, then you'r...
04/06/2026
Combos feature new Amplifier Intelligence engine
Positive Grid's latest release sees the company introduce two new combo amplifiers that promise to offe...
04/06/2026
Is Your Job Making You Work this June?
4 June, 2026
Media releases
SBS Launches the World Cup Watchers' Rights Association to Stand Up For Australians&...
04/06/2026
Statement regarding unauthorised use of SBS logos on third party social content
4 June, 2026
Media releases
SBS has become aware of social media posts in c...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Bitmovin, a leading provider of video streaming infrastructure, and Akamai, the cybersecurity and cloud computing company that powers and protects business onli...
04/06/2026
American Underground (AU), the Startup Hub of the South and a community of mor...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
NVIDIA and Microsoft Reinvent Windows PCs for the Age of Personal AI
Brie Clayton June 3, 2026
0 Comments
RTX Spark - a 1-Petaflop Superchip, the Full...
04/06/2026
Inside the Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man Grade
Brie Clayton June 3, 2026
0 Comments
Simone Grattarola discusses shaping the look in DaVinci Resolve...
04/06/2026
Cine Gear Expo Announces 2026 Awards of Excellence Recipients
Brie Clayton June 3, 2026
0 Comments
Ed Lachman ASC, Caleb Deschanel ASC, and M. David M...
04/06/2026
St. Vincents Live with Orchestra Tour to Feature Berklee Alum Ruby Plume Berklee alumni St. Vincent and Ruby Plume will appear on the same bill across seven d...
04/06/2026
Back to All News
All the Truth in My Lies Coming to Netflix on August 28
Entertainment
04 June 2026
GlobalSpain
Link copied to clipboard
Download the imag...
04/06/2026
Back to All News
Larry Tanz, VP of Content, EMEA, Delivers a Keynote Speech at ...
04/06/2026
Back to All News
Turn Your Living Room into a Stadium With the New FIFA World ...
04/06/2026
Keeping conversations real on LinkedIn Published on Jun 4, 2026 Categories: Product News
LinkedIn Corporate Communications
Share
LinkedIn
Facebook ...
04/06/2026
BackStory follows four Irish young people as they travel back to their parents' homelands
Modern Irish identity is enriched by cultures and influences from...
04/06/2026
June's forecast with GeForce NOW: 100% chance of gaming.
GeForce NOW is lining up new adventures for the month, from big-name blockbusters to quirky indies...
03/06/2026
SES and Viva, Mexico's ultra low-cost airline, have launched multi-orbit satellite inflight connectivity on Viva's Airbus aircraft. A total of 60 A320s ...
03/06/2026
The College Football Playoff, ESPN, and TNT Sports have announced kick times and...
03/06/2026
RED Digital Cinema will exhibit at Cine Gear Expo 2026 (Booth 33, June 5-6, Universal Studios Lot), hosting three panels and hands-on product demonstrations.
P...
03/06/2026
Roku has announced the Soccer Zone, a dedicated hub for FIFA World Cup 2026 content available across the United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, Argent...
BritBox execs talk to TVBEurope about todays launch
