Meet Britbox, the newest player in the streaming subscription game. The perfect holiday gift for the Angolophile in your life.
Streaming British television just got a lot easier. BBC Worldwide (aka the commercial arm of BBC) and ITV just announced that they are teaming up to launch Britbox, an ondemand video service in the U.S. (It's worth noting that, as a partner in BBC America, AMC Networks is also getting in on the deal, though with a non-voting minority interest.)
The commercial-free (very British) subscription service will be available via the web, mobile, Roku, AppleTV, and Chromecast. Though BBC and ITV have yet to announce prices, they are already considering other international locations.
So what kinds of shows will Britbox bring us? In the drama category, Britbox has focused on titles that have not yet been distributed in the U.S. and that you might not have heard of, including: New Blood, Tutankhamun, The Moonstone, In The Dark, Cold Feet, and Silent Witness.
There will also be a "Now" category that focuses on soap operas and series that have just aired. This is arguably the most exciting category, as it includes perrennial favorites like Eastenders, Emmerdale, and Holby City.
Finally, we have the "British classics condition," which includes the powerhouse miniseries Pride and Prejudice, as well as one of my all-time favorite political thrillers State of Play. Other classics inclue Upstairs Downstairs, Inspector Morse, Rosemary and Thyme, Keeping Up Appearances, andFawlty Towers.
The content seems to skew older and less well-known, though this could change as the service finds its legs. Right now, it seems like Britbox is truly for the Anglophile who wants to stay up to date on the latest episode of Eastenders (seriously, get this for them for Christmas), rather than someone who is obsessed with a single British show. The biggest BBC and ITV shows — i.e. shows like Downton Abbey or Doctor Who — already have much more lucrative U.S. distribution deals. At least for now.