- British streamer BritBox just scored a deal with Comcast as it eyes US expansion.
- It's been investing in edgier fare to widen its appeal beyond its core audience of older women.
- BritBox is like other enthusiast streamers that have sustained growth while big SVODs' growth has slowed.
BritBox International, the British-specialty streaming service backed by BBC Studios and ITV Studios, has big ambitions for growth.
On the heels of a content and marketing expansion and strong subscriber growth, it's struck a deal with Comcast's Xfinity that positions BritBox to significantly grow its reach in the US.
Under the multi-year deal, BritBox will get exposure to Comcast's 20 million households, who will be able to sign up for BritBox via their X1 or Flex devices on TV or mobile along with other Xfinity streaming service offerings. The price is $7.99 a month or $79.99 a year, the same as BritBox costs on other platforms like Prime Video and Roku.
BritBox recently reached 3 million global subscribers, a 15% year-over-year increase and up from 1 million in 2020. While its growth has cooled somewhat since launching in 2019, the service — like other enthusiast streamers such as AMC+ and BET+ — has held up better than SVODs like Netflix and Hulu. The bigger players' growth significantly slowed in 2022 as they focused on profitability to satisfy Wall Street.
The Xfinity opportunity is "a real step change in terms of distribution and access," said Reemah Sakaan, CEO of BritBox International. "There are lots of quality-seeking audiences who don't quite yet know that we exist or how to access us. So it's really exciting to see it come to bear."
Most of BritBox's subscribers are in the US, where it still sees plenty of headroom for growth, even in the overall rocky climate for subscription services. In addition to the US and UK, the streamer's footprint includes Canada, Australia, and Scandinavia, and it has distribution deals with Amazon's Prime Video and Apple.
While its archetypal viewers may be older women who come for its British crime and mystery dramas like "Agatha Christie's Poirot," BritBox wants audiences — especially younger ones — to know it's more than just its vast cozy mystery library.
Lately BritBox has pushed the boundaries of its core genre, with series like "The Confessions of Frannie Langton" that still center on crime and mystery but explore themes like LGBTQ relationships and slavery; and Jed Mercurio's sensational police drama "Line of Duty." (BritBox also has secured Mercurio's next project, a crime drama called "Payback.")
Streamers like Netflix and Disney rely on massive hits like "Stranger Things" and shows tied to globally-known IP like "The Mandalorian" to keep new subscribers coming in. BritBox may not have Grogu but the company believes that its shows, often starring talent familiar to North American audiences, will find lots of new viewers — people who aren't necessarily seeking out British content but who can still be drawn through the door by a steady beat of high-quality entertainment.
Viewers of the Cary Grant biopic "Archie" will recognize its star, Jason Isaacs, from the Harry Potter franchise, for example — while "Stonehouse," which tells the story of the disgraced Labor Minister John Stonehouse, benefits from its star Matthew Macfadyen's "Succession" fame. (Continuing to ride the "Succession" wave, BritBox aired an interview with Brian Cox right after his character, patriarch Logan Roy, was killed off.)
"It's a library of content that is totally new to the consumer, to the American consumers," said Robert Schildhouse, EVP and head of North America for BritBox. "That's another pretty substantial value proposition of what we bring to the table — we aren't totally reliant on big splashy shows."
Rounding out its offering, BritBox is leaning into live events, which have also driven sign-ups. It was the exclusive US home of the British film and TV awards show, the BAFTAs, and delivered a comprehensive lineup for King Charles' coronation May 6.
"That combination of live and events, always-on mystery, and then probably more challenging scripted fare that pushes into a slightly younger demo, has got the ability for us to be able to talk to people about different things," Sakaan said. "We've just got quite a lot in the toolbox to attract different groups that are seeking alternatives and new things to watch."
BritBox isn't making bold public bets about its growth. Across the industry, there's talk of contraction being inevitable with so many streamers fighting for a finite share of wallet. Broad is the name of the game at Warner Bros. Discovery, which is betting on scale over narrowly focused content with its new mega streamer Max.
The Hollywood writers' strike, which shows no sign of resolution soon, could cut a couple different ways. On one hand, it could open people up to alternatives like BritBox if their favorite scripted series is slow to return to Netflix. On the other, Netflix and the other big players could start competing more aggressively with BritBox for content from the UK and other territories outside the US — although the Writers' Guild of Great Britain has expressed solidarity with the US strikers.
But BritBox sees itself in a good position to complement the big streamers — as British content moves into the mainstream and interest in high-quality, international content grows. "We sort of think the sky's the limit," Sakaan said.