There are plenty of options for TV streaming in Australia these days, from Netflix to Disney Plus, Binge, Apple TV Plus and Amazon Prime Video, just to name a few – and those are just the more popular ones. But if you have a craving for some good old British television, BritBox may be all you need.
Admittedly you can get some British shows and movies on free-to-air TV in Australia, particularly on ABC, but you won't be able to revisit your favourites or binge-watch the latest productions as they're usually available for a limited time only on iview.
And that's where BritBox comes in. It's an online portal for British TV boxsets and original programming, bringing all sorts of modern and legacy TV content from the UK’s biggest broadcasters – BBC and ITV.
Granted it's not quite a Netflix killer, but it's not meant to be. Instead, it could certainly become a potential disruptor that brings together decades worth of beloved British television like Fawlty Towers, Sherlock Holmes, Black Adder and more.
First envisaged as a way of exporting classic British TV to the US and Canada, BritBox has been available in Australia since 2020. It arrived with a limited library, but that has now expanded to include every Doctor Who episode to date and all the David Attenborough you can handle. In fact, if you're a fan of the police procedural Line of Duty – which is available on Netflix until season 5 – then BritBox has exclusive access to the latest season in Australia.
Admittedly BritBox is a niche streaming service, but if you're a fan of all thing British, then it's your one-stop shop for the best of BBC and ITV.
What is BritBox?
The brainchild of two British broadcasters, ITV and the BBC, BritBox is an online, ad-free, subscription-based streaming service designed to export British programming beyond the UK’s shores.
It’s no secret that viewing habits have been shifting online, with the rise of Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney Plus and the like eating away at viewing numbers for traditional broadcasters. And while several free-to-air channels in Australia broadcast British productions, they're either ad-interrupted or available to stream for a limited time only.
Speaking to BBC News, former BBC executive Ashley Highfield suggested BritBox wasn't "something that's going to take over from Netflix. It's probably going to rub alongside".
BritBox is similar to Acorn TV, another streaming service available in Australia that brings UK productions Down Under, although these are limited to shows from AMC Networks (who own Shudder and Sundance).
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Does my country get BritBox?
At the time of writing, BritBox is only available in the US, Canada, the UK and Australia.
BritBox launched in the United States in 2017, and came to Canada the following year. It finally found its way Down Under in November 2020. Interestingly, BritBox wasn't available in the UK until November 2019, probably because of catch-up services like BBC iPlayer and ITV Hub.
BritBox is scheduled to debut in South Africa on August 6, 2021, and we expect it will roll out to other territories in the future, most likely to limit the BBC’s reliance on Netflix and competing streaming services to showcase its content globally.
How much does BritBox cost?
In Australia, a monthly subscription to BritBox will set you back AU$8.99 p/m, or you can save a little by opting for the annual subscription that costs AU$89.99.
This is cheaper than a standard Netflix, Binge or Disney Plus subscription, but a touch more expensive than the AU$6.99 monthly subscription for Amazon Prime (which gets you access to Prime Video alongside plenty of other perks), as well as being a dollar more than an Apple TV Plus subscription.
Does BritBox have a free trial?
Yes, there's a seven-day free trial period to take the streaming service for a spin.
That might not seem like very much, but keep in mind that both Netflix and Disney Plus have done away with their free trials for new customers.
BritBox's trial gives you full access to the library and you will be charged only if you choose to stick around beyond the seven days.
How do I access BritBox?
There are several ways for catching up with your favourite British programs on BritBox. You can watch on a web browser like Chrome, Safari or Edge by heading to www.britbox.com/au.
Anyone using a Samsung or LG smart TV should also be able to find the BritBox app on their telly. It's also available on 4th-gen Apple TV or newer, on Telstra TV and Fetch TV, as well as on the latest Google Chromecast with Google TV via the Play Store.
There are dedicated mobile apps for both Android and iOS as well, and if you have a Chromecast plugged into a TV that doesn't have the app (or an older panel), you can even cast from a handheld device or laptop to the bigger screen.
What shows are actually on BritBox?
BritBox combines the best of BBC and ITV programming, including comedy panel shows, cooking shows, period pieces and more.
The real draw is legacy content on the service, with thousands of hours of television from British tentpole programmes like Gavin & Stacey, Miss Marple, Fawlty Towers, The Office, Midsomer Murders, Doctor Who and Absolutely Fabulous. BritBox also has hundreds of episodes of Doctor Who dating back to the '60s, for those of you not sated by recent seasons.
And considering most of Sir David Attenborough's programs are produced by the BBC, they're all on BritBox. So you can binge on all the nature docos you can with Sir David's dulcet tones to sooth you.
Of course, hit show Line of Duty's season 6 is exclusively available on BritBox in Australia, but there's a whole plethora of other police procedurals to choose from, including DCI Banks, Endeavour, Inspector Morse, Spooks and much more.
Then there's those period dramas that are the epitome of British television. From Jane Austin's stories (Northanger Abbey, Mansfield Park) to Charles Dickens (Oliver Twist, David Copperfield), Poldark to Cranford – it's all there.
You'll also find plenty of laughs with Jimmy Carr and his panel on 8 Out Of 10 Cats and on Would I Lie To You?, alongside classic comedy series like Yes Minister, Black Books, Black Adder and more.
However, if you're fans of British soap operas such as Coronation Street, Eastenders, Holby City and Casualty, you'll miss out as they're not available on BritBox. You'll need to turn to Foxtel for those.
Despite that, there's cooking shows, documentaries (plenty on the Royals), even The Great British Sewing Bee... there's a lot in the BritBox library that you can browse even before signing up for the service.
Should I sign up for BritBox?
If you want a proper look at iconic British programming from over the years, BritBox is a relatively cheap subscription service with plenty to keep you busy. It doesn’t have the variety of Netflix or Amazon Prime Video, but you won’t get a similar concentration of British gems anywhere else.
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source https://www.techradar.com/news/britbox-australia/
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