BritBox set for 2018 Canada launch
December 15, 2017
By Colin Mann
BritBox, the SVoD streaming service from BBC Worldwide, the commercial arm of the BBC, and ITV, the UK’s biggest commercial broadcaster, will launch in Canada in early 2018. The service initially launched in the US in March 2017.
The streaming service will celebrate the very best of British TV, and offer the most comprehensive collection of British content in the market today. For decades, BBC and ITV have produced iconic British television series, and now Canadians will be able to access these programmes in a single, curated service allowing fans to find the classic shows they love and discover new hit series.
The BritBox proposition will feature:
- An array of drama premieres never-before-seen in Canada, including Five by Five, produced by and starring Golden Globe winner and Oscar nominee Idris Elba (Luther), and the critically acclaimed series The Moorside, starring Gemma Whelan (Game of Thrones) and Siobhan Finneran (Downton Abby), and Reg, Jimmy McGovern’s International Emmy nominated and RTS winning drama starring Tim Roth (Twin Peaks) and Anna Maxwell Martin (Philomena).
- For the first time on SVoD in Canada, several dramas such as Maigret, starring BAFTA winner Rowan Atkinson (Mr. Bean), the critically acclaimed series Broken, starring International Emmy Award winner Sean Bean (Lord of the Rings), along with comedies including Rev, starring BAFTA winner Tom Hollander (Pirates of the Caribbean) and Golden Globe winner Oliva Coleman (The Night Manager), and Inside No. 9, starring BAFTA winner Helen McCrory (Peaky Blinders) and BAFTA nominee Gemma Arterton (Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters), as well as the season premiere of drama favourite Cold Feet, and the longest running procedural drama, Silent Witness.
- The ‘Now’ category, which will have an amazing selection of dramas, news programmes, and soaps that will be available as soon as 24 hours after their UK broadcast, including Silent Witness, The Papers, PMQ (Prime Minister Questions), and much-loved titles Emmerdale, Holby City, and Casualty.
- A British classics collection from ITV and the BBC, including iconic period dramas Brideshead Revisited, Pride and Prejudice, and Upstairs Downstairs; political thriller State of Play; murder mystery series Inspector Morse and Rosemary and Thyme; favourite sitcoms Keeping Up Appearances and Fawlty Towers; and much more.
BritBox will be available on responsive web, mobile (iOS and Android), Roku, AppleTV, and Chromecast at launch in Canada. There is also ambition to roll out the service in other international markets.
“It has been incredible to see the response to BritBox in the US since its launch earlier this year,” said Soumya Sriraman, President, BritBox. “Soon Canadians will have the opportunity to access the largest streaming collection of British television available. With select shows offered as soon as 24 hours after their UK broadcast, Canadian subscribers will be among the first outside the UK to have access to these programmes.”
Full details of the BritBox service, including additional titles and price, will be released at launch.