BritBox launches, partners C4, Samsung

New episodes of ITV’s Midsomer Murders will be seen first on BritBox

BBC and ITV joint-venture streaming service BritBox has launched to the public and struck fresh partnerships with UK broadcasters Channel 4 (C4) and BT, mobile provider EE and tech giant Samsung.

BritBox has agreed a three-year deal with C4 giving it a total of 1,000 hours of UK TV boxsets and films from C4’s online service All 4 and movie channel Film4 respectively.

The new streaming service will incorporate All 4 into its platform next spring, with new series being made available a month after the transmission of their final episode on C4. Film4 will join BritBox later in 2020.

Alex Mahon, CEO of C4, said: “C4 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 [public service broadcasters] 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.”

Pay TV broadcaster BT has also struck a deal with BritBox to create a range of products from which its four million customers can access BritBox. As part of the deal, BT-owned EE will be BritBox’s exclusive mobile partner.

Marc Allera, CEO of BT’s consumer division, said: “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.”

Both BT and EE will reveal details of the deal over the coming months.

The streaming service has also reached a co-marketing deal with tech giant Samsung that will see Samsung’s smart TVs incorporate BritBox into their hardware and feature it as a ‘recommended app.’ Samsung will be the first TV maker to launch the BritBox app.

BritBox has also added 627 episodes of sci-fi classic Doctor Who broadcast between 1963 and 1989 to its catalogue, along with other content.

BritBox has also acquired new drama series Lambs of God, which stars Ann Dowd (The Handmaid’s Tale) and is produced by Endemol Shine Group and Australia’s Foxtel. The series originally aired in Australia this July.

New episodes from the 20th season of Midsomer Murders will also be available on BritBox ahead of their launch on ITV, along with all 19 previous seasons.

Other recent ITV and BBC titles joining BritBox include A Confession, Manhunt, The Trip, Deep Water, Wolf Hall and Rev, which will all be offered exclusively after their catch-up windows.

BritBox is priced at £5.99 (US$7.70) a month and hosts UK boxsets and films from ITV, BBC, C4 and Channel 5, reportedly making it the biggest collection of UK boxsets available in one place.