Streaming service Britbox launches in Australia

If a new streaming service is going to launch in Australia, it better have something new. Like, a puppet Scott Morrison.

Britbox has today launched in Australia, becoming the latest streaming service to enter a crowded market.

Britbox, a partnership between UK broadcasters BBC and ITV, is pitched at Anglophiles with a wide range of British series and programming including complete seasons of favourites such as Vera, Victoria, Lewis, Mr Bean, The Vicar of Dibley, Midsomer Murders, Blackadder and Prime Suspect.

Exclusive series include the 2020 remake of All Creatures Great and Small, centred on the adventures of three country vets, plus crime dramas A Confession, starring Martin Freeman and Imelda Staunton, and Appropriate Adults with Emily Watson and Dominic West.

There will also be the Britbox Original rebooted sketch comedy parody series Spitting Image with the most recent episode featuring a puppet version of Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

Yeah, this guy

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All seasons of Doctor Who, both classic and modern, will be available on Britbox. Today’s launch date was timed to coincide with Doctor Who Day.

A monthly subscription will cost $8.99 or you can opt for a yearly subscription for a reduced fee of $89.99. There is a seven-day free trial for samplers. At launch, Britbox is available on smartphones, Apple TV consoles, Fetch, Telstra TV, Chomecast, tablets and Samsung and LG smart TVs.

Britbox’s launch comes at the tail of a busy 12 months in the streaming market after the introduction of Apple TV+, Disney and Binge*. Mobile-focused service Quibi launched in April before its spectacular failure.

Australia already supports more than 15 paid subscription services, ranging from behemoths such as Netflix and Amazon to newer local players such as Binge, and niche brands such as Shudder (horror titles) and Shelter (architecture and design).

There is also already a streaming service dedicated to British TV called Acorn TV.

All thirteen Doctors can be found on Britbox

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Britbox country manager for Australia Moira Hogan told news.com.au she hoped Britbox will distinguish itself in a crowded market.

“We feel we’re a little bit different in that we obviously have wonderful shareholders in BBC and ITV who have really great, rich catalogues for us to dig deeply into and find those hidden gems or those fan favourites as well as being able to offer territory premieres and exclusives.

“What we’ve done is really focus on being able to offer complete seasons of really iconic shows. That’s where we’ll maintain our point of difference.

“We know Australians in particular have a fondness for British content, especially British crime drama and comedy content. There’s a strong heritage in Australia. I can certainly remember growing up and plunking down in front of the TV and watching really great British series as a kid.

“Our research has down that there is that affinity for the content, as well as there’s still a cultural connection, or people have family back in the UK. That’s really the type of audience that we’re targeting.”

Martin Freeman series A Confession is a Britbox exclusive

BBC already operate a linear channel (with on-demand streaming catch-up) in Australia called BBC First, which is available on Foxtel and Fetch’s pay TV platforms. Some BBC First series are also available through streaming service Binge.

Despite the perception that British TV shows are favoured by an older demographic, having been broadcast on free-to-air channels ABC and 7TWO, Hogan is confident those audiences will be at ease with streaming technology.

“We’ve seen a bit of research that’s come out during COVID that streaming has obviously gone gangbusters during that period of time and that older audiences have been introduced to streaming as well,” she said.

“We think we can capitalise on that. Also having one place to offer complete series of these great British crime dramas and comedies is an opportunity to get those audiences using streaming services.”

The remake of All Creatures Great and Small is one of country manager Moira Hogan’s favourites on Britbox

While most streaming companies do not make public their subscriber numbers, research firm Roy Morgan’s most recent streaming data in July suggested that 15.74 million Australians have some form of subscription TV.

Roy Morgan found an increase of 5.9 per cent in the previous three months, which coincided with the initial period of the COVID pandemic.

Netflix remained the market leader with 13.2 million Australians who had access, while Disney+ and Amazon Prime Video had the fastest growth figures.

Roy Morgan data has claimed Australian households will often subscribe to multiple services with Netflix and Stan the most popular combination.

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*Binge and Foxtel are majority owned by News Corp, publisher of this website

Originally published as Streaming service Britbox launches in Australia