As Radio Times reports, BritBox is a new streaming service for British content that is scheduled for launch towards the end of 2019. The service is a joint venture between two of the UK’s largest broadcasters: the BBC and ITV. Both will commit to funding and supporting this online alternative to their existing TV channels, allowing Britbox to produce its own content and to showcase classic content from the archives of both broadcasters.
To challenge Netflix and Amazon Prime in this market, Britbox will need a large library of original content. So will the British films and shows that we are used to seeing on TV be streamed online instead? And what does this mean for competition between broadcasters?
How it will work
The BritBox streaming service will work like Netflix. As well as showing classic series and films, it will fund and produce new British content for its subscribers. Users will pay a monthly subscription fee, thought to be around £5, which will allow them to enjoy new, exclusive shows and old archived shows from the BBC and ITV, online or on devices.
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On the face of it, this seems to be an effective solution for these two British broadcasters to take on their American rivals. Both have tenure and are relied upon heavily for their content, particularly the BBC’s news services and ITV’s phone-in shows like This Morning. Even in this age of eminence for streaming services like Netflix, British consumers trust and respect traditional broadcasters. Netflix itself was based loosely on the BBC’s own iPlayer service, so technological ventures like BritBox are not unfounded for the corporation. Collaborations with ITV have happened too, such as when the broadcasters have shared viewing rights for international football.
What are the issues?
Progress on BritBox has, however, stalled. ITV are ready to plough £65 million pounds into the service, but the BBC are focussed on updating their iPlayer to allow shows to remain on the platform for up to 12 months. This would appear to show a lack of faith in the project, which may also explain why other broadcasters Channel 4 and Sky have abandoned it.
BritBox will not replace either the iPlayer or the ITV Hub. These will continue to provide catch-up services for televised content. You have to wonder why this could not be handled by the BritBox service too – particularly when you consider how poorly the iPlayer service has performed in recent years, against Netflix, which now has 125 million subscribers worldwide. In assessing the public broadcaster, regulator Ofcom found that young people under the age of 34 absorbed almost an hour and a half less content per day from the BBC than older users. BritBox must address this discrepancy to ensure its relevance with future audiences.
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Who are the competition?
Netflix is the daddy of the streaming services, but with a UK price-rise on the horizon, BritBox is at least worth considering. The cost is reasonable by comparison to potential rivals and styling itself as a streaming service ‘for the people’ will go a long way to convincing doubters.
The question is: will the UK Competition Authority allow two such large broadcasters to ‘corner the market’ in this way or will they be blocked? Sky and Channel 4 have their own streaming services and will not appreciate the collaboration of two rivals. With Apple also venturing into streaming, perhaps what this increasingly crowded and strictly-regulated market is in need of is a comparison service to help consumers find the most suitable streaming service. Maybe big production companies could help us with some examples here. In the world of online casino, websites like NetEnt recommend the best online casino bonuses for casinos that feature their games, allowing players to take full advantage of them with perks including deposit and no-deposit bonuses. Does this mean studios like Endemol and Granada – who produce lots of our most popular shows – are therefore well-placed to recommend which streaming service(s) feature our favourite content?
Doubts over the quality, funding and reliability will ultimately determine how BritBox catches on. Since it will not use any TV licensing funds, many consumers may prefer to simply stick with the channels they know, love and already pay for. But with BritBox currently exceeding expectations in America, it will be interesting to see how the service will compete in the UK market.