A Brief Guide to BritBox: Opportunity Knocks

Opportunity knocks for BritBox [Image: BritBox]

By Zoe Kramer

Sometimes all but the big names get overlooked in the streaming wars. 

When they’re looking for their next subscription service, everyone wants a reliable, well-established name, and a wide selection of content to boot — as a result, many gravitate to the industry giants: Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+. But in doing so, they may be missing out on one of the unsung heroes of the streaming world, BritBox.

What is BritBox’s claim to fame? It’s the lovechild of the BBC and ITV which offers the largest collection of British content on any streaming service. Instead of relying solely on original content, BritBox banked on boxsets of older TV shows to build its audience.

Compared to more mainstream SVOD services, the BritBox library may seem small, with just over 300 titles. However, BritBox doesn’t want to be the next Netflix. It’s comfortable with a smaller scale and a more niche audience.

BritBox has competitive pricing, too. A membership costs £5.99 a month, compared to £8.99 a month for Netflix. That’s significantly less, and if you’re predominantly interested in British content anyway, it’s a pretty easy sell. Plus, with a planned six new original series a year, its library of titles is slowly growing to accommodate existing subscribers as they consume more and more content.

A predecessor project from the BBC and ITV called “Project Kangaroo” debuted in 2008, however it barely got its legs. It had seemingly cornered the UK-originated content market and had potential to be massively popular. Alas, having been deemed too much of a threat to its rivals, the Competition Commission blocked the startup from launching, and any hopes of restarting the company fizzled out.

Nine years later, BritBox was founded.

The market of 2017 was very different from the market of 2008, and with many bigger players in the game, BritBox was given the go-ahead. It originated not in its home country, but in fact launched in the US and Canada. The US model of BritBox has been largely successful, gaining 1.5 million subscribers last October. However, in its homeland, BritBox has suffered losses, losing £21 million in 2019. It has global but perhaps not domestic appeal, in part because much of its content has already been accessible for UK residents.

One thing BritBox is not lacking is a star-studded team. UK managing director Will Harrison, best known as chief commercial officer of the Harry Potter franchise, joined with ample experience after previous employment with Warner Bros, HBO and Disney. Also on the team is Amy Jones, formerly of Amazon Prime Video. With experience from all these companies coming into play, BritBox is well-equipped for the market. Most recently, BritBox has hired Reemah Sakaan, Group Director ITV SVOD, as its new international CEO.

BritBox can be compared to other smaller streaming services which have recently been successful. Scandinavian platform Viaplay has become the 2nd most popular SVOD in Denmark, Sweden and Finland. Eros Now has a tentative grasp on consumers of Bollywood media from around the world. Just like BritBox, its business model works because there’s a smaller but dedicated audience for its content who haven’t had pre-existing access because of where they live.

Can BritBox Outfox Its Rivals?

Perhaps the way in which BritBox will keep the edge over its competitors is its global outlook. BritBox is already available in the USA, Canada, the UK, and Australia. It recently announced its plans to launch in South Africa in late 2021. BritBox has plans to eventually take root in 25 countries across Europe, Asia, the Middle East, South America and Africa.

It may also take the lead because of its ability to capture an older demographic. BritBox has been successful with the over-45 audience, particularly women aged over 45, in a way that Netflix and Amazon simply haven’t. And over the past couple years that audience has become pretty loyal.

It just goes to show, you don’t have to be the biggest to be the best, and you don’t have to please everybody. You just have to know your audience.