BritBox, the ITV and BBC owned streaming service, has announced a new content deal with Channel 4 which will see TV boxsets from All 4 and films from Film4 join the service from 2020.
The service is focussed on British made content and is coming to the UK following launches in the US and Canada. As announced earlier this summer, the UK version is 90% owned by ITV with the BBC taking a minority 10% holding.
Channel 4 shows will be available 31 days following transmission of the last episode and will provide the service with over 1,000 hours of content over the course of the three-year deal.
BritBox has also announced a partnership with BT which will allow customers across all three of the group’s brands – BT, EE and Plusnet – to benefit from “a range of products and offers that feature access to BritBox.”
As part of the deal, EE will be the exclusive mobile partner for BritBox.
News of the Channel 4 and BT partnerships come as Britbox marks its first day in full operation following successful beta trials over the summer.
Britbox boss Reemah Sakaan said:“BritBox is all about bringing together the best of British creativity and talent in a new digital world.
“Today’s launch and announcement of our partnership deals with Channel 4 and BT underline the quality and scale we want the service to embody.
“It’s wonderful to be bringing such a wealth of brilliant British TV and film to subscribers from today, and I’m looking to revealing our exciting, original commissions in the near future.”
Alex Mahon, CEO at Channel 4, said: “Channel 4 has always showcased distinctive and diverse British content and, in a world of almost unlimited choice, our public service brand values are more important than ever for viewers.
“The opportunity to collaborate as PSBs on BritBox extends our track record of partnership and will ensure there is a compelling single destination for the very best high quality, home-grown content.”
Marc Allera, CEO of BT’s consumer division, said: “We’re delighted to be partnering with the world’s best streaming providers to give our customers the UK’s best TV experience – offering unrivalled choice and flexibility.
“This deal with BritBox will add more exciting content to our great range of TV services for customers whether they’re watching at home or on the go.”
Britbox will be available on a range of devices including Samsung TVs, Freeview Play set top boxes and TVs and YouView set top boxes.
Samsung will be the first TV maker to launch the BritBox app which will appear as a “Recommended App” on Samsung Smart TV’s. The two firms will also carry out joint marketing as the TV device market heads into its key Black Friday and Christmas sales season.
Guy Kinnell, Vice President of TV & AV Samsung Electronics UK Ltd said: “We have an ongoing commitment to provide the greatest experience to our customers, including offering the best range of apps currently available.
“BritBox provides a new way to access the best of British content exactly whenever they want which consumers can experience on Samsung before any other Smart TV platform.”
CONTENT
The service will offer hundreds of British box-sets from the BBC and ITV, with content also being provided by Channel 5 and, as announced today, Channel 4.
Available shows include Downton Abbey, Broadchurch, Only Fools and Horses, Gavin & Stacey and Extras. BritBox will be the home of Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple and Poirot, and reality fans will be able to enjoy all the past series of Love Island.
BritBox has also revealed that all 627 available episodes of classic Doctor Who will be available to stream for the first time ever from Boxing Day, including animated recreations of missing episodes using the original soundtrack, and the original pilot from 1963.
