BritBox leans on annual plans, bundles, and niche British content
Robert Schildhouse, CEO of BBC Studios' DTC business, discussed BritBox's 'Anti-Netflix' strategy at the NAB Streaming Summit, emphasizing profitability over scale and a focus on niche British content for North American audiences. He highlighted the success of BritBox Premier and the prioritization of annual subscribers, noting experimentation with aggregation and bundles through partnerships with Starz, MGM+, and Hallmark.
Key Takeaways
- BritBox says 50% of its direct subscribers are on annual plans, and Schildhouse said those users are worth more than twice as much as monthly subscribers.
- BritBox Premier already accounts for more than 10% of its own-and-operated subscribers despite a low-key launch.
- The premium tier includes 4K quality, early access to shows, mobile downloads, and documentaries from BBC Select.
- BritBox is experimenting with bundles through partnerships with Starz, MGM+, and Hallmark.
- Schildhouse said BritBox focuses on British mysteries, crime, and period dramas for North American audiences.
Why It Matters
BritBox is signaling that it is optimizing for retention and lifetime value, not raw subscriber scale. The immediate takeaway is that annual plans and a premium tier are doing real work in the economics of the service, while the content mix stays tightly focused on British genres that already resonate in North America. The broader angle is that Schildhouse sees aggregation and bundling as the direction of travel, and BritBox is already testing that view through Starz, MGM+, and Hallmark. Watch for any additional bundle partners or changes in the share of annual subscribers and BritBox Premier adoption.
Read full article at streamingmediablog.com
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