【2016 Archives】

It's hard to believe016 Archives but amidst the global streaming war that threatens to make a bonafide mockery of our anxious bank accounts, a new streaming service has launched in the UK — and it's all about that sweet, sweet British content.

Finally launched on Thursday, BritBox is a joint partnership between the BBC and commercial broadcaster ITV, as well as Channel 4 and Channel 5 — two of Britain’s biggest free-to-air channels.

BritBox has been available in the U.S. since March 2017, and in Canada since Feb. 2018. The BBC and ITV confirmed the paid streaming service for the UK in February, and now, it's up and running.

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There's a stack of British dramas, comedies, films, and documentaries available immediately, including all your UK favourites like Downton Abbey, Broadchurch, Gavin and Stacey, and all 627 episodes of classic Doctor Who.Plus, they've launched with an exclusive series, Lambs of God, which is a drama about three nuns starring The Babadook's Essie Davis, The Handmaid's Tale's Ann Dowd, and TEOTFW's Jessica Barden.

But up ahead, there'll be other British originals made specifically for the platform. The next new show is expected to be commissioned "soon" and will be available on BritBox from 2020.

BBC director general Tony Hall said in a statement that BritBox's library will be "truly British, showcasing our culture and telling distinctive stories. It’s what makes real British TV so special."

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

It's true, one of the biggest points of difference for BritBox is the amount of British content on the platform. Ampere Analysis verified that — excluding kids' content — BritBox has the largest collection of British boxsets of the streaming services: 283, while NOW TV has 233, Prime Video has 181, and Netflix has 163. Exactly how much that will entice customers remains to be seen, but the platform's promised original content might play a big role here.

There's also a whole David Attenborough section, and particular sections dedicated to shows made in specific areas like Yorkshire (helloooo Happy Valley), as well as plenty of British classics like Absolutely Fabulous, Blackadder, andFawlty Towers.

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BritBox lets you watch on multiple devices including Apple TV, Samsung TV, and iOS and Android devices, like most streaming services.

SEE ALSO: Which new streaming service should you subscribe to? None of them — for now.

"The agreement to launch BritBox is a milestone moment," said Carolyn McCall, CEO of ITV in a press statement. "[Consumers are] happy to pay for this ease of access to quality content and so BritBox is tapping into this, and a new revenue stream for UK public service broadcasters.

"We are committed to making BritBox UK a great success. Discussions continue with other content and distribution partners and we are looking forward to making further announcements in the coming months."

So, how much?

BritBox is offering the first 30 days for free, then £5.99 ($7.70) per month after that. It's exactly the same price as a basic Netflix subscription in the UK, after the company's recent price increase — and the very same price as the most basic rung of Amazon Prime Video. It's also cheaper than the equivalent on NOW TV, with its Entertainment pass at £7.99 per month.

There's a certain amount of chatter on Twitter about the fact that folks in the UK must, by law, pay for an annual £154.50 TV licence to watch any content from free-to-air broadcasters — including the four involved with BritBox. And it's a fair point: Why pay for something you've already kind of paid for?

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Sure, it isthe first digital platform to bring all the UK's public service broadcasters together, so we can't argue with that ease of access.

But as reported by Varietyand confirmed by the BBC to Mashable via email, content will flow to BritBox only after it has appeared on the broadcasters’ own catchup services — BBC iPlayer, ITV Hub, All 4, and My 5. The publisher reports that the window for content from Channels 4 and 5 will be 30 days, but BBC could be up to a year as the broadcaster wants to focus on developing iPlayer itself. Hmmm.

It remains to be see whether this is a shot-in-the-foot strategy, especially while shows like BBC-to-Channel 4 gem The Great British Bake-Offsit merrily having their proverbial cake and eating it too on Netflix — Seasons 1 to 7 will come to BritBox within the next six months. I guess we'll see which shows end up on BritBox as existing licence agreements with other players expire.

But most notably, it's a particularly tricky moment to be launching a new streaming service in the midst of a global streaming war — the arrival of Disney+ and Apple TV+ alone have already got the users of Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and every other platform in an anxious bind.

Will UK consumers pay for yet another streaming service, with only British content?