BritBox (stylised britbox) is a digital video subscription service created by BBC and ITV plc, serving the United Kingdom, United States and Canada.[3][4] It is focused on British television series and films, mainly featuring current and past series and films supplied from the main UK public service broadcasters (the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5). BritBox is said to feature the biggest collection of British box-sets available in one place, with more original programming set to be available from 2020. BritBox's focus on British content has led to the service being described as a 'niche streaming service' in the U.S.[5]
BritBox's launch in the United States was announced in December 2016, with it launching on 7 March 2017.[6] It launched in Canada on 14 February 2018[7][8] and proposals for a UK launch were finalised on 27 February 2019, with the service launching in the United Kingdom on 7 November 2019.[9] There are content restrictions between each platform, leading some content to be available on one platform and unavailable on another.
BritBox provides new episodes to British soaps and dramas such as EastEnders, Coronation Street and Emmerdale, within hours of their UK broadcast via BritBox’s ‘Now’ feature to North American users.
It reported a subscriber base of 250,000 within a year since launching in the US.[10] In 2019, 650,000 subscribers were reported from the North American platform
Though not officially described as its successor, BritBox has been likened to an earlier attempt by UK public service broadcasters (BBC Worldwide, ITV and Channel 4) to create an online video-on-demand download service, codenamed "Project Kangaroo" in November 2007. This followed the launches of the broadcasters' own video-on-demand services.
On Wednesday, 4 February 2009, Project Kangaroo was blocked by the Competition Commission.[12]
The commission stated that the case surrounding Kangaroo was about the control of valuable UK-originated TV content. "BBC Worldwide, ITV and Channel 4 together control the vast majority of this material, which puts them in a very strong position as wholesalers of TV content to restrict competition from other current and future providers of video-on-demand services to UK viewers," said Peter Freeman, the chairman of the Competition Commission, in its final report on Project Kangaroo. "We thought viewers would benefit from better video-on-demand [VoD] services if the parties – possibly in conjunction with other new and/or already established providers of VoD – competed with each other."
A Channel 4 spokesperson said at the time, "This is a disproportionate remedy and a missed opportunity in the further development of British broadcasting."
After the planned Project Kangaroo was blocked, the system's assets were sold to transmitter firm Arqiva and this led to the development of the service SeeSaw, which operated from February 2010 to October 2011, with content from the BBC, Channel 4, and Channel 5, some of which (such as Doctor Who) now appears on BritBox.
Entry of Netflix
Since the arrival of Netflix, European PSBs and Media companies have started to find ways to compete with American Subscription Video on Demand services (SVODs), and many old rivalries have also been put aside in Europe and to collaborate by creating joint SVODs, such the like of BritBox but also France's Salto (backed by networks TF1, France Télévisions and M6), and German-based Joyn (a joint venture between ProSiebenSat.1 and Discovery)[13].
Establishment of joint venture
Talks between the BBC and ITV to launch a Netflix-style streaming service took place in March 2016, with NBCUniversal also initially in the talks.
Launch in US
Following increased competition for the public service broadcasters from streaming giants, the BBC and ITV announced plans to create a Netflix-style TV service.[14] The BBC and ITV did announce several shows they will be running on Britbox including New Blood, Tutankhamun, The Moonstone, In The Dark, Cold Feet and crime series Silent Witness on launch.[15]
Launch in Canada
On 14 February 2018, BritBox launched in Canada. Soumya Sriraman, President, BritBox North America, said, “We know that Canadians have a deep affinity for British culture and the extraordinary television programs produced in the UK, so launching BritBox in Canada has always been at the top of our list. The fact that we can also, for the first time ever, premiere some of the most popular British programs and big special events such as Trooping the Colour as soon as 24 hours after their UK premiere is – hopefully – the cherry on the sundae.”[16]
UK launch
In February 2019, it was announced that BritBox would be launched in the UK later in the year as a rival to Netflix.[17] Journalist Mark Lawson likened the proposed project to BBC Worldwide's previous failed platform, Project Kangaroo, which was expected to launch in 2008, and described it as "bizarre" and "hugely risky".[18] In March 2019, Channel 4 confirmed interest in collaborating with the BBC and ITV.[19] Currently, McMafia, Last Tango in Halifax, Les Misérables and the sitcom Gavin & Stacey have been confirmed to be available on the UK version.[19]
In July 2019, the BBC and ITV announced they had signed an agreement to launch BritBox in the UK in the last quarter of 2019.[20]
On 20 September 2019, ITV announced they had reached a deal with Viacom for Channel 5 and Comedy Central UK content.[21] This was followed by an announcement on 27 September that Samsung TVs, Freeview Play and YouView would be the first distribution platforms [22]
In October 2019, BritBox launched its "testing phase" (beta) in the United Kingdom, in which users can sign up for a free trial to have a "snapshot of what will be there at launch".[23]
One day before UK launch, on 6 November 2019, the Guardian reported that Channel 4 is to join BritBox after the two signed a 3-year deal to provide 1000+ hours of content from All 4 "with a range of comedy, drama and non-scripted programmes from across the service, including new series, and for the first time to any streamer, an exclusive Film4 curated service featuring iconic British films".[24][25] This means for the first time, all the UK's traditional channels have managed to successfully bring together programmes on a single streaming service. Channel 4 content will be available on BritBox from Spring 2020 and Film4 content later in 2020, with recently aired content being only available on BritBox 31 days after the airing of the last episode on Channel 4.[25] Channel 4 currently has not taken an equity stake in BritBox.
Ownership
BritBox is a joint venture of BBC Studios and ITV plc, shown in the tagline "by BBC & ITV". The service in North America is owned by BritBox LLC[3], and in the UK by BritBox SVOD Ltd[4], joint ventures of BBC Studios and ITV plc. ITV owns 90% of the joint venture, with BBC Studios holding the remainder 10%, with the option of increasing their share to 25%. AMC Networks, the BBC's partner on its US cable channel BBC America, has a non-voting minority stake in the U.S. service, since they have a vested stake in RLJ Entertainment (who owns a rival British TV service Acorn TV.) and their own Shudder SVOD service.[26][27] Channel 4 and Channel 5 currently have no equity share in any of the platforms.
Content
Original programmes
In September 2017, BritBox released a reconstruction of the Doctor Who story The Wheel in Space using the surviving episodes and reconstruction using Tele-snaps.[28] In July 2018, The Bletchley Circle: San Francisco made its debut, the first original drama series in which BritBox held a direct production role.[29]
More original content is set to be commissioned and produced for 2020, following the platform's UK launch, with the BBC Media Centre stating "The first new show is expected to be commissioned soon and will be available to BritBox viewers from 2020".[30] The goal is to offer exclusive content only available on BritBox, rather than BBC and ITV's UK VOD services BBC iPlayer and ITV Hub. The annual budget for original programmes will be in the tens of millions of pounds according to BBC News.[31]
ITV has pledged to invest up to £65m in the joint venture over the next two years, and the BBC has said their pledge would be in the "tens of millions
Film and television deals
In addition to containing the catalogues of BBC and ITV television, BritBox includes content from Channel 4 (including Film4), and ViacomCBS through the UK channels Channel 5 and Comedy Central.
Other potential networks to offer content or ownership of BritBox include: NBCUniversal (owned by Comcast) and BT. Such collaboration would greatly increase BritBox's catalogue and financial resources when competing with other streaming platforms like Netflix, Disney+ and Prime Video. BT and NBCUniversal were reportedly in early talks with BritBox, but the progress of the talks have yet to be stated, with NBCUniversal launching their own streaming service, 'Peacock' in the US in 2020[33] and its parent Comcast owning Sky's UK streaming service Now TV, making collaboration with NBCUniversal unlikely. BT has since signed a partnership with BritBox in which the service will complement it own content.
Arran Tindall, Senior Vice President, Commercial & Content Distribution, Viacom International Media Networks said “Under Viacom’s ownership we have significantly increased Channel 5’s investment in original UK content and we’re delighted to bring our popular homegrown content to an even wider audience through BritBox, alongside a selection of Comedy Central’s much-loved UK programming.” following the announcement that Viacom content of Channel 5 and Comedy Central UK would be joining the service.[34]
In the early days of BritBox, Channel 4 was reportedly in talks with BritBox for a long period, ITV chief executive Carolyn McCall confirmed to RadioTimes.com that talks are "continuing" with Channel 4 and said that they will "welcome Channel 4 to BritBox".[35] On 6 November, the Guardian reported that Channel 4 is to join BritBox, with its content expected to be available on the service from early 2020.[24]
However, Channel 4, a publisher-broadcaster, must commission UK content from independent production companies and currently works with around 300 companies across the UK every year.[25] As such, Channel 4 potentially lacks the streaming rights to many of the shows it broadcasts. Many independent broadcasters waive these rights in order to strike more lucrative deals with larger SVODs while retaining control over their intellectual property. This would therefore potentially cause the UK platform to have differing content from the North American platform.
Content co-produced between British Broadcasters and Larger SVODs like Netflix and Prime Video will not be available on all or any BritBox platforms.[36] This includes shows like Bodyguard regarding which a BritBox spokesperson said "Can't come back home", adding that “going forward, [BritBox] won’t licence things to Netflix and Amazon in the first place because we now have a home, a streaming service in the UK”.[37]
The BBC, however, makes much of its content via BBC Studios, as does ITV with ITV Studios, and in some instances for each other, so the rights to their programmes are in their control
Excluded content
This may not apply to all platforms.
'Inappropriate' content
A big part of the BritBox catalogue is the extensive archives of the public service broadcasters, BritBox faces the challenge of hosting content which contains outdated stereotypes and opinions. In response to this, BritBox has announced that it would not include classic homegrown series that are deemed to be inappropriate for modern audiences.
BritBox bosses have said a range of classic shows, such as the BBC's Till Death Us Do Part and ITV's Love Thy Neighbour, will not appear on the service because of content deemed racist or otherwise unacceptable. Reemah Sakaan, the senior ITV executive responsible for launching the subscription video-on-demand service, said “We also recomply everything that goes on to BritBox [with modern TV viewing standards]. There’s also the ability to create bespoke warnings around key programming.”
Sakaan confirmed that Till Death Us Do Part, first aired on BBC1 in 1965, which features the bigoted character Alf Garnett, and ITV's 1970s series Love Thy Neighbour, a sitcom about a West Indian couple who move next door to a White British couple, will not appear on the service. It Ain’t Half Hot Mum, the BBC comedy about a military entertainment unit in India during the second world war, will also be absent. Some individual episodes of some beloved shows that appear on BritBox such as BBC's Only Fools and Horses and Fawlty Towers can be also deemed 'inappropriate' therefore eligible to be removed. However, it is understood that no Fawlty Towers episodes will be cut from the service but will run with warnings of offensive language instead.[41]
Non-exclusive deals
The sale of rights to BBC and Channel 5 content has caused some reporters to be wary of BritBox's viability as a platform for new content, due to deals with larger SVODs to exclusively stream newer BBC content and non-exclusive deals with Sky and Now TV to access Channel 5 box sets.[42] However, many BBC Studios' deals have given licences to some of its content to many other SVODs on a non-exclusive basis. With newer or co-produced series more likely to be exclusive to certain SVODs. Whereas Sky already has existing deals with not only Channel 5, but Channel 4 and the BBC to have certain box sets on their Sky and Now TV platforms in the UK.[43]
BBC Studios & HBO Max
The 11 series of 2005 revival and future series 13 and 14 of Doctor Who will be exclusive to stream on HBO Max in the US, following a deal between the two, on 1 August 2019.[42] Other content from BBC Studios such as The Honourable Woman, Luther, Top Gear, and the British version of The Office would be available on HBO Max on a non-exclusive basis, meaning they would potentially be also available on BritBox.[44]
BBC Studios & Discovery
On 1 April 2019, a 10-year content partnership was agreed between BBC Studios and Discovery, which will see Discovery become the exclusive global home of the BBC's landmark natural history programs including the Planet Earth, Blue Planet and Life franchises for SVOD. The Dynasties series, hosted by Sir David Attenborough, is included in the deal, as are future BBC-commissioned landmark series. This deal applies Worldwide except the UK, Ireland and Greater China, meaning such series may be unavailable on BritBox platforms outside the United Kingdom. Upcoming co-produced content between Discovery and BBC Studios would be exclusive to Discovery's upcoming streaming platform outside the UK.[45][46]
The Discovery deal includes around 500 hours of non-exclusive content, which will still be available on other streaming services. A BBC Studios spokesperson told TBI that the relationship with Discovery is “very significant and important but it is not 100% exclusive on all titles in all regions and is therefore able to co-exist alongside regional deals of this type”, following BBC Studios' deal to provide factual content to Greek telco OTE’s pay-TV service Cosmote TV[47].
Platforms
Content restrictions between platforms
The list of available programmes differs between the Canada, UK and US platforms.[48] For example, BritBox carries Coronation Street in the US but not in Canada, where the corresponding rights have long been held by CBC Television. Meanwhile, in the UK, TV shows, especially produced by independent production companies (like the BBC show Peaky Blinders) may appear on the UK BritBox, as the BBC or ITV have the domestic broadcasting rights, but may not be available on BritBox elsewhere, due to the independent production companies giving international rights to services like Netflix. This means that depending on whether the BBC and ITV owns only the domestic rights, programmes on UK BritBox may not also be available on its American and Canadian platforms.[31] Alternatively, shows like Living the Dream may not appear on the UK BritBox, as it is broadcast by Sky and available on Sky's streaming service Now TV in the UK, but currently appears on the US BritBox.[49]
BBC and ITV content currently on other streaming services are likely to be exclusive to BritBox once the other SVOD licences expire, therefore potentially leading to harmony in programming between the platforms.[32] Any original content produced for BritBox is set to be exclusively on BritBox.
Content co-produced between British Broadcasters and Larger SVODs, like Netflix and Prime Video, will not be available on all or any BritBox platforms.,[36] these include shows like Bodyguard in which a BritBox Spokesperson said "can't come back home", and who added that "going forward, we [BritBox] won’t licence things to Netflix and Amazon in the first place because we now have a home, a streaming service in the UK",[37] they also added that in response to not licensing to other SVODs, since its focus is on UK-produced series, the platform would not compete to acquire the rights to US or international shows.[50]
Recently aired or current shows made for the BBC, ITV, Channel 5 and Channel 4 terrestrially in the United Kingdom, would appear on their VOD services, BBC iPlayer, ITV Hub, My5 and All 4 respectively before BritBox. These shows would then move to BritBox at a later date, then be exclusive to BritBox once the shows have expired on the terrestrial VOD,[38] which is 30 days for ITV Hub and My5, 31 days for All 4 and 12 months for BBC iPlayer.[51]
New content not made exclusively for BritBox, but for the BBC for example, may not be available on BritBox platforms outside the UK, due to deals struck with other SVODs such as HBO Max and Discovery.[52]
United States
BritBox's launch in the United States was announced in December 2016, it launched on 7 March 2017.[6]
Initial programmes on U.S. launch
Among the shows offered upon BritBox's initial launch, were the US premieres of New Blood and Tutankhamun. In addition, other episodes of new programmes available on the service include:
BritBox's launch in the United States was announced in December 2016, with it launching on 7 March 2017.[6] It launched in Canada on 14 February 2018[7][8] and proposals for a UK launch were finalised on 27 February 2019, with the service launching in the United Kingdom on 7 November 2019.[9] There are content restrictions between each platform, leading some content to be available on one platform and unavailable on another.
BritBox provides new episodes to British soaps and dramas such as EastEnders, Coronation Street and Emmerdale, within hours of their UK broadcast via BritBox’s ‘Now’ feature to North American users.
It reported a subscriber base of 250,000 within a year since launching in the US.[10] In 2019, 650,000 subscribers were reported from the North American platform
Though not officially described as its successor, BritBox has been likened to an earlier attempt by UK public service broadcasters (BBC Worldwide, ITV and Channel 4) to create an online video-on-demand download service, codenamed "Project Kangaroo" in November 2007. This followed the launches of the broadcasters' own video-on-demand services.
On Wednesday, 4 February 2009, Project Kangaroo was blocked by the Competition Commission.[12]
The commission stated that the case surrounding Kangaroo was about the control of valuable UK-originated TV content. "BBC Worldwide, ITV and Channel 4 together control the vast majority of this material, which puts them in a very strong position as wholesalers of TV content to restrict competition from other current and future providers of video-on-demand services to UK viewers," said Peter Freeman, the chairman of the Competition Commission, in its final report on Project Kangaroo. "We thought viewers would benefit from better video-on-demand [VoD] services if the parties – possibly in conjunction with other new and/or already established providers of VoD – competed with each other."
A Channel 4 spokesperson said at the time, "This is a disproportionate remedy and a missed opportunity in the further development of British broadcasting."
After the planned Project Kangaroo was blocked, the system's assets were sold to transmitter firm Arqiva and this led to the development of the service SeeSaw, which operated from February 2010 to October 2011, with content from the BBC, Channel 4, and Channel 5, some of which (such as Doctor Who) now appears on BritBox.
Entry of Netflix
Since the arrival of Netflix, European PSBs and Media companies have started to find ways to compete with American Subscription Video on Demand services (SVODs), and many old rivalries have also been put aside in Europe and to collaborate by creating joint SVODs, such the like of BritBox but also France's Salto (backed by networks TF1, France Télévisions and M6), and German-based Joyn (a joint venture between ProSiebenSat.1 and Discovery)[13].
Establishment of joint venture
Talks between the BBC and ITV to launch a Netflix-style streaming service took place in March 2016, with NBCUniversal also initially in the talks.
Launch in US
Following increased competition for the public service broadcasters from streaming giants, the BBC and ITV announced plans to create a Netflix-style TV service.[14] The BBC and ITV did announce several shows they will be running on Britbox including New Blood, Tutankhamun, The Moonstone, In The Dark, Cold Feet and crime series Silent Witness on launch.[15]
Launch in Canada
On 14 February 2018, BritBox launched in Canada. Soumya Sriraman, President, BritBox North America, said, “We know that Canadians have a deep affinity for British culture and the extraordinary television programs produced in the UK, so launching BritBox in Canada has always been at the top of our list. The fact that we can also, for the first time ever, premiere some of the most popular British programs and big special events such as Trooping the Colour as soon as 24 hours after their UK premiere is – hopefully – the cherry on the sundae.”[16]
UK launch
In February 2019, it was announced that BritBox would be launched in the UK later in the year as a rival to Netflix.[17] Journalist Mark Lawson likened the proposed project to BBC Worldwide's previous failed platform, Project Kangaroo, which was expected to launch in 2008, and described it as "bizarre" and "hugely risky".[18] In March 2019, Channel 4 confirmed interest in collaborating with the BBC and ITV.[19] Currently, McMafia, Last Tango in Halifax, Les Misérables and the sitcom Gavin & Stacey have been confirmed to be available on the UK version.[19]
In July 2019, the BBC and ITV announced they had signed an agreement to launch BritBox in the UK in the last quarter of 2019.[20]
On 20 September 2019, ITV announced they had reached a deal with Viacom for Channel 5 and Comedy Central UK content.[21] This was followed by an announcement on 27 September that Samsung TVs, Freeview Play and YouView would be the first distribution platforms [22]
In October 2019, BritBox launched its "testing phase" (beta) in the United Kingdom, in which users can sign up for a free trial to have a "snapshot of what will be there at launch".[23]
One day before UK launch, on 6 November 2019, the Guardian reported that Channel 4 is to join BritBox after the two signed a 3-year deal to provide 1000+ hours of content from All 4 "with a range of comedy, drama and non-scripted programmes from across the service, including new series, and for the first time to any streamer, an exclusive Film4 curated service featuring iconic British films".[24][25] This means for the first time, all the UK's traditional channels have managed to successfully bring together programmes on a single streaming service. Channel 4 content will be available on BritBox from Spring 2020 and Film4 content later in 2020, with recently aired content being only available on BritBox 31 days after the airing of the last episode on Channel 4.[25] Channel 4 currently has not taken an equity stake in BritBox.
Ownership
BritBox is a joint venture of BBC Studios and ITV plc, shown in the tagline "by BBC & ITV". The service in North America is owned by BritBox LLC[3], and in the UK by BritBox SVOD Ltd[4], joint ventures of BBC Studios and ITV plc. ITV owns 90% of the joint venture, with BBC Studios holding the remainder 10%, with the option of increasing their share to 25%. AMC Networks, the BBC's partner on its US cable channel BBC America, has a non-voting minority stake in the U.S. service, since they have a vested stake in RLJ Entertainment (who owns a rival British TV service Acorn TV.) and their own Shudder SVOD service.[26][27] Channel 4 and Channel 5 currently have no equity share in any of the platforms.
Content
Original programmes
In September 2017, BritBox released a reconstruction of the Doctor Who story The Wheel in Space using the surviving episodes and reconstruction using Tele-snaps.[28] In July 2018, The Bletchley Circle: San Francisco made its debut, the first original drama series in which BritBox held a direct production role.[29]
More original content is set to be commissioned and produced for 2020, following the platform's UK launch, with the BBC Media Centre stating "The first new show is expected to be commissioned soon and will be available to BritBox viewers from 2020".[30] The goal is to offer exclusive content only available on BritBox, rather than BBC and ITV's UK VOD services BBC iPlayer and ITV Hub. The annual budget for original programmes will be in the tens of millions of pounds according to BBC News.[31]
ITV has pledged to invest up to £65m in the joint venture over the next two years, and the BBC has said their pledge would be in the "tens of millions
Film and television deals
In addition to containing the catalogues of BBC and ITV television, BritBox includes content from Channel 4 (including Film4), and ViacomCBS through the UK channels Channel 5 and Comedy Central.
Other potential networks to offer content or ownership of BritBox include: NBCUniversal (owned by Comcast) and BT. Such collaboration would greatly increase BritBox's catalogue and financial resources when competing with other streaming platforms like Netflix, Disney+ and Prime Video. BT and NBCUniversal were reportedly in early talks with BritBox, but the progress of the talks have yet to be stated, with NBCUniversal launching their own streaming service, 'Peacock' in the US in 2020[33] and its parent Comcast owning Sky's UK streaming service Now TV, making collaboration with NBCUniversal unlikely. BT has since signed a partnership with BritBox in which the service will complement it own content.
Arran Tindall, Senior Vice President, Commercial & Content Distribution, Viacom International Media Networks said “Under Viacom’s ownership we have significantly increased Channel 5’s investment in original UK content and we’re delighted to bring our popular homegrown content to an even wider audience through BritBox, alongside a selection of Comedy Central’s much-loved UK programming.” following the announcement that Viacom content of Channel 5 and Comedy Central UK would be joining the service.[34]
In the early days of BritBox, Channel 4 was reportedly in talks with BritBox for a long period, ITV chief executive Carolyn McCall confirmed to RadioTimes.com that talks are "continuing" with Channel 4 and said that they will "welcome Channel 4 to BritBox".[35] On 6 November, the Guardian reported that Channel 4 is to join BritBox, with its content expected to be available on the service from early 2020.[24]
However, Channel 4, a publisher-broadcaster, must commission UK content from independent production companies and currently works with around 300 companies across the UK every year.[25] As such, Channel 4 potentially lacks the streaming rights to many of the shows it broadcasts. Many independent broadcasters waive these rights in order to strike more lucrative deals with larger SVODs while retaining control over their intellectual property. This would therefore potentially cause the UK platform to have differing content from the North American platform.
Content co-produced between British Broadcasters and Larger SVODs like Netflix and Prime Video will not be available on all or any BritBox platforms.[36] This includes shows like Bodyguard regarding which a BritBox spokesperson said "Can't come back home", adding that “going forward, [BritBox] won’t licence things to Netflix and Amazon in the first place because we now have a home, a streaming service in the UK”.[37]
The BBC, however, makes much of its content via BBC Studios, as does ITV with ITV Studios, and in some instances for each other, so the rights to their programmes are in their control
Excluded content
This may not apply to all platforms.
'Inappropriate' content
A big part of the BritBox catalogue is the extensive archives of the public service broadcasters, BritBox faces the challenge of hosting content which contains outdated stereotypes and opinions. In response to this, BritBox has announced that it would not include classic homegrown series that are deemed to be inappropriate for modern audiences.
BritBox bosses have said a range of classic shows, such as the BBC's Till Death Us Do Part and ITV's Love Thy Neighbour, will not appear on the service because of content deemed racist or otherwise unacceptable. Reemah Sakaan, the senior ITV executive responsible for launching the subscription video-on-demand service, said “We also recomply everything that goes on to BritBox [with modern TV viewing standards]. There’s also the ability to create bespoke warnings around key programming.”
Sakaan confirmed that Till Death Us Do Part, first aired on BBC1 in 1965, which features the bigoted character Alf Garnett, and ITV's 1970s series Love Thy Neighbour, a sitcom about a West Indian couple who move next door to a White British couple, will not appear on the service. It Ain’t Half Hot Mum, the BBC comedy about a military entertainment unit in India during the second world war, will also be absent. Some individual episodes of some beloved shows that appear on BritBox such as BBC's Only Fools and Horses and Fawlty Towers can be also deemed 'inappropriate' therefore eligible to be removed. However, it is understood that no Fawlty Towers episodes will be cut from the service but will run with warnings of offensive language instead.[41]
Non-exclusive deals
The sale of rights to BBC and Channel 5 content has caused some reporters to be wary of BritBox's viability as a platform for new content, due to deals with larger SVODs to exclusively stream newer BBC content and non-exclusive deals with Sky and Now TV to access Channel 5 box sets.[42] However, many BBC Studios' deals have given licences to some of its content to many other SVODs on a non-exclusive basis. With newer or co-produced series more likely to be exclusive to certain SVODs. Whereas Sky already has existing deals with not only Channel 5, but Channel 4 and the BBC to have certain box sets on their Sky and Now TV platforms in the UK.[43]
BBC Studios & HBO Max
The 11 series of 2005 revival and future series 13 and 14 of Doctor Who will be exclusive to stream on HBO Max in the US, following a deal between the two, on 1 August 2019.[42] Other content from BBC Studios such as The Honourable Woman, Luther, Top Gear, and the British version of The Office would be available on HBO Max on a non-exclusive basis, meaning they would potentially be also available on BritBox.[44]
BBC Studios & Discovery
On 1 April 2019, a 10-year content partnership was agreed between BBC Studios and Discovery, which will see Discovery become the exclusive global home of the BBC's landmark natural history programs including the Planet Earth, Blue Planet and Life franchises for SVOD. The Dynasties series, hosted by Sir David Attenborough, is included in the deal, as are future BBC-commissioned landmark series. This deal applies Worldwide except the UK, Ireland and Greater China, meaning such series may be unavailable on BritBox platforms outside the United Kingdom. Upcoming co-produced content between Discovery and BBC Studios would be exclusive to Discovery's upcoming streaming platform outside the UK.[45][46]
The Discovery deal includes around 500 hours of non-exclusive content, which will still be available on other streaming services. A BBC Studios spokesperson told TBI that the relationship with Discovery is “very significant and important but it is not 100% exclusive on all titles in all regions and is therefore able to co-exist alongside regional deals of this type”, following BBC Studios' deal to provide factual content to Greek telco OTE’s pay-TV service Cosmote TV[47].
Platforms
Content restrictions between platforms
The list of available programmes differs between the Canada, UK and US platforms.[48] For example, BritBox carries Coronation Street in the US but not in Canada, where the corresponding rights have long been held by CBC Television. Meanwhile, in the UK, TV shows, especially produced by independent production companies (like the BBC show Peaky Blinders) may appear on the UK BritBox, as the BBC or ITV have the domestic broadcasting rights, but may not be available on BritBox elsewhere, due to the independent production companies giving international rights to services like Netflix. This means that depending on whether the BBC and ITV owns only the domestic rights, programmes on UK BritBox may not also be available on its American and Canadian platforms.[31] Alternatively, shows like Living the Dream may not appear on the UK BritBox, as it is broadcast by Sky and available on Sky's streaming service Now TV in the UK, but currently appears on the US BritBox.[49]
BBC and ITV content currently on other streaming services are likely to be exclusive to BritBox once the other SVOD licences expire, therefore potentially leading to harmony in programming between the platforms.[32] Any original content produced for BritBox is set to be exclusively on BritBox.
Content co-produced between British Broadcasters and Larger SVODs, like Netflix and Prime Video, will not be available on all or any BritBox platforms.,[36] these include shows like Bodyguard in which a BritBox Spokesperson said "can't come back home", and who added that "going forward, we [BritBox] won’t licence things to Netflix and Amazon in the first place because we now have a home, a streaming service in the UK",[37] they also added that in response to not licensing to other SVODs, since its focus is on UK-produced series, the platform would not compete to acquire the rights to US or international shows.[50]
Recently aired or current shows made for the BBC, ITV, Channel 5 and Channel 4 terrestrially in the United Kingdom, would appear on their VOD services, BBC iPlayer, ITV Hub, My5 and All 4 respectively before BritBox. These shows would then move to BritBox at a later date, then be exclusive to BritBox once the shows have expired on the terrestrial VOD,[38] which is 30 days for ITV Hub and My5, 31 days for All 4 and 12 months for BBC iPlayer.[51]
New content not made exclusively for BritBox, but for the BBC for example, may not be available on BritBox platforms outside the UK, due to deals struck with other SVODs such as HBO Max and Discovery.[52]
United States
BritBox's launch in the United States was announced in December 2016, it launched on 7 March 2017.[6]
Initial programmes on U.S. launch
Among the shows offered upon BritBox's initial launch, were the US premieres of New Blood and Tutankhamun. In addition, other episodes of new programmes available on the service include:
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