I honestly didn't know this before my previous reply...
RX:TV - No more originals for BritBox UK
BritBox UK
This is also being reported on Broadcast:
BritBox UK has called a halt on original commissioning ahead of the launch of ITV’s next-generation digital video service ITVX.
The service is being folded into ITVX, due to launch in Q4, where it will retain its standalone brand and archive of programming. It will seek to strike more licensing deals but will no longer order originations.
The SVoD launched as a BBC / ITV-owned proposition in November 2019 and went on to order 18, predominantly scripted, originals including Spitting Image, Magpie Murders and The Beast Must Die. Meanwhile, the second series of Irvine Welsh’s police procedural Crime will be made available via ITVX, ahead of a linear launch, pointing to ITV’s SVoD strategy after it bought out the BBC’s minority stake.
Meanwhile shows ordered as BritBox UK originals including Snowed-In Productions and Clearwood Films’ Stonehouse and ITV Studios / Sony Picture Television’s A Spy Among Friends will now launch via ITVX.
Managing director of BritBox UK Will Harrison departed earlier this month and will not be replaced, with his responsibility for the service handed to ITV managing director of streaming Rufus Radcliffe.
A spokeswoman said that BritBox International, headed by chief exec Reemah Sakaan, remains unaffected.
“BritBox UK will have no more originals,” said the spokeswoman. “BritBox International is an entirely different business and it will not be impacted by these changes and will continue to have originals.”
As part of its annual results, ITV revealed that the £5.99 per-month BritBox UK grew by over 45% year-on-year to 733,000 subscribers. Churn rate has halved since its launch, with distribution deals agreed with partners including Amazon Prime Video and Xbox.
BritBox International has 2.4m subscribers, with ITV predicting 10-12m subscribers by 2030.
well spotted, seems it is indeed going.
seems as though britbox is being swallowed up by ITV. I can't help but think the price will go up... Britbox+itvx (noads). Kinda looks like a dual service.
I think britbox's biggest downfall is availability, it is not available on virgin nor sky, yet when I asked them (originally lived elsewhere where I had virgin) their response was demand didn't seem high enough / no point.
yet BT here had the right idea, load the app, offer 6 month free get people interested. Both sky and VM needed to do the same.
For a while britbox was available on roku us but only recently has it appeared in the UK roku which is even funnier because the app itself was already built and working in the US yet only probably needed a database switch to run here...
For me it was constantly advertising it's services yet, I was sat there thinking 'all well and good but I can't flipping access you!' by the time I moved I then realised it could be accessed via amazon. Too late then.
I wonder if ITVX will link into itv channels like iplayer does with bbc and offer the 'green to restart' prompt?