The BBC and ITV have teamed up to take on launching a new streaming service that could rival Netflix, it has been reported.
According to the Sunday Times, the terrestrial channels have joined forces to bring their classic shows to viewers at the touch of a button.
Fans of shows such as Absolutely Fabulous, Fawlty Towers and Midsomer Murders will be able to watch the classic shows on the planned subscription service. The paper reports that both broadcasters have been in negotiations for over a year about launching a service that will stream all their archive sitcoms and shows which they hope will rival Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.
It is believed to have taken inspiration from Britbox, a joint BBC-ITV streaming platform that launched in America two years ago and has attracted more than 400,000 paying subscribers. A formal announcement is expected on Wednesday to coincide with ITV’s annual results.
The new streaming service is expected to run alongside the free catch-up platforms iPlayer and ITV Hub.
The new streaming service is expected to run alongside the free catch-up platforms iPlayer and ITV Hub. Netflix rival The subscription service would charge for archive shows and it has been suggested it could cost viewers £5 a month.
Speaking to the Times earlier this month, Kevin Lygo, ITV’s director of television, indicated the importance of the project and said: “It seems mad that we can’t make our archive and the BBC’s archive available to people at the press of a button.”
But analysts are sceptical about the launch, particularly as almost 10 million British homes already subscribe to Netflix. Tom Harrington, of Enders Analysis, told the paper: “Will households with Netflix and Amazon think they really need a third one?”
https://inews.co.uk/news/entertainment/bbc-and-itv-join-forces-to-launch-new-streaming-channel-showing-classic-shows/