BritBox Now Tops 4 Million Subscribers Across U.S., Canada, Australia, Nordics
BBC director general Tim Davie and BBC chair Samir Shah answered questions from the Culture, Media and Sport Committee of the House of Commons in Britain’s parliament on Tuesday, addressing a wide range of issues. In one update, Davie shared that streamer BritBox has topped the 4 million subscriber mark, with a representative later specifying that this figure is for its operations across the U.S., Canada, Australia, and the Nordics.
“BritBox in the U.S. (and other non-U.K. territories) is now over 4 million subscribers (and) is pretty much very low churn, and the enterprise value is very high,” he said. BBC Studios bought out venture partner ITV to take full control of BritBox International at the start of March 2024 when the streamer had more than 3.75 million subscribers.
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“The case for the BBC is even stronger than it has ever been before,” Shah said on the first anniversary of his starting his role, citing the need for a core fact-based news provider amid the dangers of “opinionated news,” misinformation and disinformation.
He also said that global streamers make brilliant content, but the BBC is the key player able to “focus on British storytelling for British audiences.” Plus, the BBC and other public service broadcasters can provide shared experiences for mass audiences.
“The case for the BBC is stronger than ever, but the jeopardy is higher,” Davie echoed. People must “feel involved” in society amid the current risk of many people “disengaging entirely,” he emphasized. “Building a link to the BBC and feeling ownership is important.”
Shah was on Tuesday also asked about how well the BBC board is working. “Nothing is ever perfect, and we are making some changes,” he said in addressing what a recent board efficiency review found.
A “charter for a generation” that protects the BBC and its independence is his goal, he also shared. The current charter, which outlines the public broadcaster’s public purposes and governance, along with its funding, including through tax payer money, is due to expire at the end of 2027.
The “regular scrutiny session” on the work of the British public broadcaster, whose commercial arm BBC Studios last week held its annual content showcase in London, saw members of parliament question the executives about funding issues, financial challenges faced by the BBC ahead of the review of its charter, as well as editorial processes, impartiality processes, workplace culture, the future of TV, as well as recent controversies.
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