Netflix's New Rival Coming In UK, Bringing More Original Contents From BBC And ITV

Netflix has a new rival coming on the horizon. BritBox, a joint video-on-demand service of BBC Studios and ITV, just announced it's testing phase in the United Kingdom.

As part of the company’s latest beta test, BritBox is offering a 30-days free trial service, but this is a snapshot of what the final service is about to offer later this year. Additionally, the streaming service has also promised a ton of original content by next year.

The news about the BritBox’s launch comes a few weeks after the BBC announced plans to get its iPlayer catch-up service a major makeover. The goal is to transform the BBC’s service from a "catch-up service" into a more of a go-to destination for box sets and movies.

Some of the potential big TV networks to offer original content or ownership of Britbox include Channel 4 and the Comcast-owned NBCUniversal. The massive partnership is expected to increase BritBox’s contents as well as its financial resources.

BritBox also serves the North American market, which it claimed over 650,000 subscribers. The upcoming BritBox launch in the UK will give the service it's first footing in the European front and a potential growth area. BritBox’s service in the UK will focus primarily on British TV series, which made up mostly of past and latest contents from ITV and BBC.

BBC and ITV first announced plans to launch the BritBox service in the UK in July 2019. In September 2019, ITV revealed a deal with TV network Viacom for Comedy Central and Channel 5 contents. This was quickly followed by the announcement about distribution platforms Samsung TVs, Freeview Play and Youview.

BritBox will be launched with a monthly £5.99 for multiscreen and HD viewing.