British broadcasters the BBC and ITV have formally agreed to launch their joint streaming service, BritBox, in the U.K. in the fourth quarter of 2019. It will be priced at £5.99 per month, making it the same price as the cheapest Netflix subscription in the U.K.
The service in the first couple of years will be programmed with a catalog of shows from both broadcasters and some originals.
Reality show “Love Island” and drama “Gentleman Jack” are among the newer titles that will be available. There will also be such series as “Gavin & Stacey,” “Victoria,” “Happy Valley,” “Broadchurch” and “The Office,” which will land on the BritBox once existing agreements with other streamers end.
“The agreement to launch BritBox is a milestone moment,” said ITV CEO Carolyn McCall. “Subscription video-on-demand is increasingly popular with consumers who love being able to watch what they want when they want to watch it. They are also happy to pay for this ease of access to quality content, and so BritBox is tapping into this, and [is] a new revenue stream for U.K. public service broadcasters.”
Billing itself as the “best of British” programming, BritBox is already up and running in North America. Its arrival on home turf in the U.K. comes two years after its launch in the U.S.
“ITV and BBC have made, and continue to make, the programs that both reflect and shape British culture and creativity,” said BBC director general Tony Hall. “We now look forward to working together to launch the largest collection of British box sets ever – bringing the very best in past, present and future British programming and award-winning content to viewers all in one place.”