The streaming wars are upon us. The pretenders to Netflix’s throne are lining up to challenge its online supremacy.
As reported back in February, BBC and ITV productions are joining forces to provide a new home for UK television: BritBox.
BritBox currently exists in the US and Canada as a streaming home for UK drama and comedy. If you’re stateside, it’s where you’ll find classics and continuing series, from Inspector Morse to Inside No. 9.
According to BBC News, the service will be launched here in the UK between October and December this year and will cost £5.99 a month in HD. The fee will cover multiple devices, and the service will be a home for BBC and ITV shows once they’ve left each organisation’s solo catch-up sites, BBC iPlayer and ITV Hub. New original Britbox shows will also be custom-made for the service.
Some UK shows may end up on multiple streaming services, and not all new BBC and ITV shows will land on Britbox, depending on the deals done by independent production companies.
The original announcement came with reassurance that the launch of BritBox would not affect BBC iPlayer’s growth, but would sit alongside the BBC’s existing streaming service.
We’ll bring you more news as it arrives.
