BBC Worldwide, ITV Streaming Service BritBox Headed to Canada

Pitched as the "destination for lovers of British TV," the subscription VOD service has started rolling out internationally beyond the U.S. market.

BBC Worldwide, the commercial arm of the BBC, and U.K. TV giant ITV on Thursday said their subscription VOD service BritBox will launch in Canada in early 2018.

No word on pricing for the Canadian version of Britbox, which is also backed by AMC Networks and its joint venture with BBC Worldwide for cable channel BBC America. Britbox launched in the U.S. market in March 2017 with a price tag of $6.99 per month after an introductory free trial period.

Without being specific, BBC Worldwide and ITV said Britbox will eventually "roll out" into other international markets. Among the shows to be offered to Canadian subscribers early on is Idris Elba's Five by Five; The Moorside, starring Gemma Whelan and Siobhan Finneran; and Reg, which stars Tim Roth and Anna Maxwell Martin.

The video streaming service already includes a host of BBC and ITV shows, including Brideshead Revisited, Pride and Prejudice and Inspector Morse. Canadians have long had access to BBC and ITV series via licensing deals with local broadcasters.

Britbox will allow BBC and ITV shows not yet licensed in the Canadian market to become available locally via a single, curated streaming service. The streaming service will be available on the online, mobile, Roku, AppleTV and Chromecast platforms at launch in Canada.

At the same time, Britbox will launch into a crowded video streaming market, with Netflix, Apple TV and Amazon Prime already making deep inroads with Canadian digital video subscribers.