BBC, ITV launch BritBox video streaming service in U.S.

(Reuters) – British media companies BBC Worldwide and ITV Plc launched BritBox in the United States on Tuesday, a new subscription-based video streaming service that includes iconic British shows including “Blackadder”, “Fawlty Towers” and “East Enders”.

BritBox will feature a “Now” category that includes British soaps and other programs, such as “EastEnders” and “Emmerdale”, that can be streamed a day after their broadcast in the UK.

BBC Worldwide is the main commercial arm and a unit of the BBC.

The service is priced at $6.99 per month, cheaper than Netflix Inc’s and Hulu’s offerings which both start at $7.99.

BritBox will also compete with Amazon’s Prime Video in a hotly contested video streaming market in the United States.

AMC Networks Inc, which has a joint venture with BBC Worldwide for the cable channel BBC America, had invested in BritBox with a non-voting minority interest. BBC Worldwide and ITV share an equal majority stake in BritBox.

(Reporting by Amy Caren Daniel and Narottam Medhora in Bengaluru)