BBC Studios named Robert Schildhouse as president of BritBox North America and general manager of BritBox International, new posts at the company, effective April 1.

The new positions, part of leadership changes at the streaming service, expand Schildhouse’s role at the streaming service. Based in New York, he had  most recently been general manager, North America, and group editorial for Britbox International.

Kerry Ball will continue in her role as BritBox’s chief commercial & strategy Officer based in London. Schildhouse and Ball will now both report to Rebecca Glashow, CEO, BBC Global Media & Streaming. 

Also Read: BritBox Claims More Than 3.4 Million Streaming Subs

The moves follow BBC Studios agreeing to buy ITV’s 50% stake in BritBox earlier this month for about $322 million.  BritBox International CEO Reemah Sakaan is set to leave once the transition period has ended. 

"Robert's commitment, creativity and passion for the business make him the optimal leader to drive the continued success of BritBox and I’m looking forward to working with him," said Glashow. "With Robert’s deep understanding of the streaming landscape, combined with our world-class leadership team and staff, BritBox is poised for an exciting next phase of growth in the BBC portfolio."

Schildhouse joined BritBox in 2022.  He had been chief content officer for Airtime. Before that he was executive VP, business development with CBS Global Distribution Group and co–head, content at Hulu.

“I am thrilled to take on this expanded role at such a pivotal moment for BritBox International. We have had an incredible year of growth and are uniquely positioned to solidify our standing as the premier destination for delivering quality British content to our loyal and expanding subscriber base,” said Schildhouse. “Great stories can come from anywhere, and we remain committed to curating premium content from the deep and varied creative community across the UK, including ITV, independent producers and from within BBC Studios.”

BritBox, the streaming service that specializes in entertainment from the U.K., said its app is now available directly on Vizio smart TVs.

"Vizio is pleased to collaborate with BritBox and provide our users access to the premium British subscription app,” said Seta Goldstein, senior director of business development and partnerships at Vizio. “With the addition of BritBox, Vizo is expanding the availability of fan-favorite British entertainment, giving audiences even more TV shows and movies to enjoy and discover.”     

Vizio users will be able to subscribe to BritBox for $9.99 per month or $99.99 a year and check out the service during a free seven-day trial.

“BritBox is committed to providing exceptional British content to audiences around the world. We're thrilled to work with Vizio to bring the incredible lineup of BritBox films and series to millions of households,” said Reemah Sakaan, CEO of BritBox International, which is owned by BBC Studios and ITV. 

“Our content is consistently enriched, providing an ever-evolving entertainment experience for viewers,“ Sakaan said. “With a diverse selection of titles spanning from crime to comedy, we will further enhance Vizio’s entertainment offering with the best of British TV.”

BritBox originals include the drama Sherwood, starring David Morrissey and Lesley Manville; the biopic Stonehouse, starring Matthew Macfadyen; the crime drama Beyond-Paradise, featuring Kris Marshall and Sally Bretton; The Confessions of Frannie Langton, from the award-winning novel by Sara Collins; the crime thriller Payback, starring Morven Christie and Peter Mullan; and the recently launched Archie, a limited series covering the formative years of Hollywood superstar Cary Grant, starring Jason Isaacs and written and executive produced by screenwriter Jeff Pope.

BritBox International said it named a new chief financial officer and created a global editorial team.

The new CFO will be Nimesh Kataria, effective April 2024. Kataria had been group VP finance, international sport, at Warner Bros. Discovery.

The new editorial team will be headed by New York-based Robert Schildhouse, general manager of BritBox North America, and London-based Kerry Ball, who becomes chief commercial and strategy officer.  Shildhouse will be responsible for editorial and programming strategy.

BritBox also named Alana McGaughey VP global PR and comms. McGaughey had been with Netflix.

“Bringing executives of the caliber of Nimesh and Alana onto the fantastic BritBox leadership team is testimony to the exciting mission and results we’re achieving,” said BritBox CEO Reemah Sakaan.

“They bring a wealth of global streaming and content experience to us and join a business that has a unique clarity and model in today’s landscape. I can’t wait for them to unleash their ideas and energy onto our business and our ‘make it happen’ culture,” Sakaan said. “With these new appointments, together with Robert and Kerry who have already made a significant contribution to the success of the service in their expanded roles, we are building a powerhouse of a senior leadership team that will equip us to take BritBox into the next stage of its growth and success story.”

BritBox International said it now how more than 3.4 million subscribers globally.

Owned by BBC Studios and ITV, BritBox says its sub count is up 15% since the beginning of the year.

Britbox also said it has acquired rights to two seasons of the BBC’s drama Blue Lights in the U.S. and Canada.

The series follow probationary recruits at the Police Service of Northern Ireland in Belfast. 

The first season appeared earlier this year on BBC One and iPlayer. 

Blue LIghts was directed by Gilles Bannier, co-created and written by Declan Lawn and Adam Patterson, co-created and co-produced by Louise Gallagher of Gallagher Films, and co-created and produced by Stephen Wright of Two Cities Television, with support from Northern Ireland Screen.

A second six-episode season has been announced by the BBC.

BritBox International said it named Diana Pessin as senior VP, marketing, North America and group marketing services.

Pessin spent more than 20 years at HBO, HBO Max and WarnerMedia. She more recently has been doing brand management consulting.

In her new job, Pessin will lead marketing efforts including creative, partnerships and media buying strategy.

She will report to Robert Schildhouse, executive VP, BritBox North America & general manager, group marketing services. She replaces Nada Arnot, who left for a position at another company. Britbox’s marketing leads in London and Sydney will have a dotted line reporting into her.

“When I joined BritBox last year, one of my priorities was to continuously expand our reach across the North America market as we continue to drive interest in British programming from broader quality-seeking audiences,” said Schildhouse. “With Diana’s proven leadership in marketing and previous accomplishments in streaming, having worked across every stage of the marketing funnel to drive customer growth, I have full confidence that she will lead our team and our campaigns to new heights and beyond.”

BritBox recently topped 3 million subscribers globally with 15% subscriber growth over the past year. BritBox costs $7.99 a months and is available on most streaming platforms.,

“I am thrilled to be joining the BritBox family, a globally recognized brand with an authentic identity and high quality programming,” added Diana Pessin, SVP Marketing, North America and Group Marketing Services, BritBox International, “This is an exciting time to be involved with the largest streaming collection of British content as global interest in British entertainment continues to grow.” 

BritBox International appointed Robert Schildhouse as executive VP, North America, and general manager, group marketing services.

Schildhouse most recently was chief content officer for the Airtime social app. Before that, he was executive VP, business development with the CBS Global Distribution Group and co-head, content acquisition at Hulu.

He replaces Emily Powers, who left BritBox earlier this year.

Schildhouse will report to Reemah Sakaan, CEO, BritBox International, and will lead business development, commercial relationships, programming and performance marketing for BritBox North America. He will also oversee central marketing services, led by Nada Arnot, senior VP, marketing North America and group marketing services.

"As we continue to drive the growth and strong momentum of our North America business, Robert will bring his proven expertise in leading innovative streaming and content businesses to our organization. It’s an exciting and pivotal time for BritBox and I’m thrilled to be adding him to our passionate team, bringing the best of British to North America," Sakaan said.

"I've admired BritBox's unique offer and programming for some time, and how the business has gone from strength to strength globally and built such loyal fandom," Schildhouse added. "I can't wait to help drive its further growth across North America, in BritBox’s exciting next chapter, working with Reemah and her talented team, and our partners at BBC Studios and ITV." ■

The television industry kicks off October and the Halloween season with several scary series and movie debuts this week, while a DC Comics-themed series returns on a streaming service. 

Showtime will look to thrill audiences with the October 9 premiere of original vampire-themed series Let The Right One In. The series, which stars Demian Bichir, Madison Taylor Baez and Anika Noni Rose, follows a father’s efforts to keep her 12-year old vampire daughter alive by any means necessary. 

Netflix on October 5 will debut the horror film Mr. Harrigan’s Phone. The movie, based on a Stephen King story, stars Donald Sutherland as Mr. Harrigan, a reclusive billionaire who, from the grave, communicates with a young boy who befriends Harrigan and continues to call Harrigan’s phone after the billionaire's death.

HBO Max on October 6 will launch the third season of DC Comics-based series Pennyworth: The Origin of Batman’s Butler. The series, which follows the exploits of Bruce Wayne’s butler prior to him meeting Wayne’s parents, moves to the streaming service after its first two seasons aired on Epix.

Below are video trailers and premiere dates for multiple shows debuting the week of October 3 to October 9 on cable networks and streaming services (for some videos, viewer discretion is advised):

October 4 – Cherish the Day (returning series) – OWN

October 4 – Sherwood (drama) – BritBox

October 5 – Chucky (returning series) – Syfy

Also: TV Scares Up New Original Programming for Halloween

October 5 – Reginald the Vampire (dramedy/horror) – Syfy

October 6 – A Friend of the Family (drama) – Peacock

October 6 – Monster High: The Movie (movie) – Nickelodeon

October 7 – Hellraiser (movie) – Hulu

October 7 – Luckiest Girl Alive (drama) – Netflix

October 7 – The Midnight Club (drama) – Netflix

October 7 – The Redeem Team (documentary) – Netflix

Acorn TV debuted in 2013 as the first streaming service to serve the U.S. Anglophile market, offering a steady mix of old and new British TV shows, mini-series, movies and originals, and six years later managed to attract 1 million customers. But in that same time frame, U.K. programming powerhouses BBC and ITV launched their own streaming service -- BritBox -- for lovers of all things Old Blighty, putting pressure on the pioneering service to find new ways to attract and retain subscribers. 

Where Can I Get Acorn TV?

Acorn TV can be accessed via a streaming app, on computers, tablets and phones through the www.acorn.tv and is priced at $6.99 per month. The app is available for download at most app stores, Apple TV, Roku, IPhone, IPad, Chromecast, Android mobile and tablets, Smart TVs, Amazon FireTV and the web.

How Much Does Acorn TV Cost?

Acorn TV offers a one-week free trial, and then customers are billed $6.99 monthly. Annual subscriptions are available for $69.99. Acorn TV also allows for gift subscriptions.

What Shows Are on Acorn TV?

Acorn TV programming concentrates mainly on British mysteries, dramas, crime shows and “heartwarming comedies,” offering new originals and exclusive U.K. premieres. Originals including Agatha Raisin, starring Ashley Jensen (Extras, After Life,Ugly Betty) and based on the best-selling books by M.C. Beaton; The Chelsea Detective, a detective series starring Adrian Scarborough as DI Max Arnold and Sonita Henry as his partner DS Priya Shamsie have also resonated with viewers, as have shows like Aftertaste, Cuffs, and The Good Karma Hospital. U.K. comedy and drama essentials like acclaimed BBC detective drama George Gently, Acorn original Bloodlands  and Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries join New Zealand comedy-drama Nothing Trivial,  Aussie legal drama Newton’s Law, and Australian thriller The Code in the growing Acorn TV lineup.  

Acorn TV also offers award-winning series and movies like BBC classic I, Claudius; family drama A Place to Call Home; Mystery Road an original drama set in the Australian Outback; and The Hour, a look into the high-stakes world of TV news. Returning favorites including mystery My Life is Murder starring Lucy Lawless; and the final season of Doc Martin, a British drama series starring Martin Clunes.

On April 4, new episodes of Walking Through History; The Straits, starring Brian Cox (Succession) as the head of an unconventional crime family; Dead Lucky, a thriller starring Rachel Griffiths (Six Feet Under); and new series Harry Wild, starring Jane Seymour as a retired literature professor turned crime solver, will be available. April 11 is the premier of police drama Candace Renoir and on April 14, 1998 mini series Coming Home, based on the best seller by Rosamunde Pilcher and starring Peter O’Toole, Joanna Lumley, Emily Mortimer, David McCallum and Paul Bettany, makes its debut.     

Will It Last?

Parent AMC Networks doesn’t break out individual subscribers anymore for its streaming services, but said its SVOD networks -- Acorn TV, Shudder, Sundance Now, AMC Plus and ALLBLK -- surpassed a combined 6 million paying customers in 2020 and ended 2021 with more than 9 million subscribers. During its Q4 earnings conference call with analysts in February, AMC Networks interim CEO Matt Blank said the goal is to reach a combined 20 million-to-25 million subscribers for the streaming services by the end of 2025.

At the same time BritBox has been gaining its own ground. Launched in March 2017, the service -- a partnership between the BBC and ITV and mainly offering TV series and films from the main British public broadcasters (BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5) -- said it had  about 2 million subscribers last year (1.5 million in the U.S. and 500,000 in the U.K.) Acorn TV launched its U.K. version in 2020.

While Acorn TV may have a much smaller customer base than broader streaming services like Disney Plus and HBO Max, Blank said on the call that scale isn’t as important for niche streamers like Acorn TV as it is for larger entities.

“Last quarter we talked about the beauty of smaller numbers and how our strategy is allowing us to build the streaming business marked by what we believe are higher levels of customer engagement and satisfaction, lower costs, higher margins and other benefits that are enabling us to achieve our goals at much lower subscriber levels than others,” Blank said. 

Acorn and its AMC streaming brethren also are more likely to weather smaller subscriber bases because the cost of its programming is so low. During the Q4 conference call, AMC Networks Streaming Services president Miquel Penella said that 19 of the top 20 most popular shows on Acorn, Shudder, ALLBLK and Sundance Now cost less than $1 million per episode, and some substantially less. In contrast, according to The Hollywood Reporter, Disney Plus spends about $15 million per episode for The Mandalorian and as much as $25 million per episode for its Marvel streaming TV series like WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and Hawkeye.  

With a highly targeted niche market, low programming costs and strong viewer engagement, it’s hoped that there will be ample room for both Brit-themed services to survive.  ■  

BritBox, BBC Studios’ streaming service, has announced the cast of Hugh Laurie's adaptation of the Agatha Christie mystery novel, Why Didn't They Ask Evans?. 

The three part series was given the greenlight earlier this year with Laurie directing and producing. 

Will Poulter will star as Bobby Jones and Lucy Boynton will play Lady Frances "Frankie" Derwent. The two play young detectives who discover a man just before he dies who mutters the words of the title. They set out to find his killer.

Also in the cast are Maeve Dermody, Conleth Hill, Daniel Ings, Jonathan Jules, Miles Jupp, Amy Nuttall, Alistair Petrie, Paul Whitehouse, Morwenna Banks, Joshua James and Hugh Laurie as Dr. James Nicholson. 

“I’m deeply honoured to have been given the opportunity to co-lead this project with Lucy and the chance to bring Agatha Christie’s thrilling story to life under Hugh’s direction,” said Poulter.

“I’m so thrilled to be working with Hugh and Will, and on this story from one of my favourite authors. I can’t wait to get started,” said Boynton.

The limited series is executive produced by Emily Powers, Gina Cronk, and Jonathan Karas for BritBox North America, and produced by Claire Jones for Mammoth Screen, alongside executive producers Damien Timmer and Helen Ziegler, and James Prichard for Agatha Christie Limited.

Special guests will be announced at a later date. 

BBC Studios streaming service BritBox said that it will be commissioning Hugh Laurie's adaptation of Agatha Christie's mystery Why Didn't They Ask Evans? The three part series will make its streaming debut in 2022, a date has not been set. Laurie will executive produce and direct.

Why Didn't They Ask Evans? follows Bobby Jones and Lady Frances 'Frankie' Derwent as they discover the body of a dying man whose last words are “Why didn’t they ask Evans?”. The two embark on a journey to solve the murder and find the mystery woman in the photo of the man's wallet. 

“I loved this book as a nipper and still do," said Laurie. "The hairs on the back of my neck haven’t properly settled down from the first time I grasped the beauty of the essential mystery. Since then, I have fallen deeper and deeper in love with the characters, and feel immensely honored to have been given the chance to retell their story in this form. I will wear a tie on set, and give it everything I have.” 

Produced by Agatha Christie Limited and Mammoth Screen, whose other collaborations include The ABC Murders with John Malkovich, And Then There Were None and Pale Horse. 

Casting will be announced at a later date. Endeavor Content brokered the commission and will handle International sales outside of the UK, Ireland and the Americas. 

BritBox is available for $6.99 per month/69.99 per year—after an introductory free trial period—on Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV 4th Gen, Samsung, LG and all iOS and Android devices, Chromecast, and online at https://www.britbox.com/us/. BritBox is also available on Amazon Channels for Prime members and on Apple TV Channels on supported devices. 

Both Acorn TV and BritBox have carved out successful niches in the Amazon Prime Video Channels market, with each SVOD service claiming to have reached 1 million U.S. and Canadian subscribers in 2020.

Is there room on Amazon Channels for another subscription streaming service focused on movies and TV shows from the U.K.?

The BBC, which already partnered with ITV in 2018 to launch BritBox, thinks so. It just announced that it will launch a new subscription service, BBC Select, in the Amazon Prime Video Channels, as well as the similarly modeled Apple TV Channels, in early 2021. The offering will be made available for users in the U.S. and Canada. No pricing has been announced yet.

Don’t look for murder mysteries and period dramas on BBC Select. BBC said the streaming service will be primarily programmed with nonfiction programming themed around “culture, politics and ideas.” 

Initially announced programs include Grayson Perry: Big American Road Trip, featuring the eponymous British artist; Brainwashing Stacey, starring well known U.K. news personality Stacey Dooley; and the history-themed Romantic Revolution from Sir Simon Schama. Also featured will be work from documentarian Louis Theroux.

Given this factual focus, BBC Select will also be competing with CuriosityStream and the upcoming Discovery Plus (although it’s not yet clear to us if the latter will be resold through “channels” partners). 

“BBC Select is for those who crave knowledge, new perspectives and programs that are not your standard fare,” said Louise la Grange, general manager and launch director of the upcoming platform. “BBC Select will combine a rich line up of never-before-seen shows in the U.S. and Canada with a prized portfolio of thought-provoking, eye-opening programs that provide context and color to the world we all share—all in one place.”

Added Rebecca Glashow, president of BBC Studios—America: “As we shift our business focus to engaging our fans direct, the digital space offers us the opportunity to bring audiences a portfolio of shows that bring new ideas and perspectives into the conversation. Our research has shown that audiences are looking for an alternative to what is already out there. BBC Select is it.”

Soumya Sriraman, who departed as president and CEO of SVOD service BritBox earlier in October, has been tapped by Amazon to lead its Prime Video Channels business. 

Amazon for several years has offered its Prime members the option of subscribing, in the Prime  Video app, to third-party streaming services including HBO, Showtime, Starz, AMC Plus … and BritBox. The Amazon Prime Video Channels model now accounts for a significant share—in fact, a majority—of subscribers for many streaming services, which cede the ability to directly bill and collect customer data, in addition to a portion of their platform revenue, to Amazon. 

Also read: BritBox Promotes Powers to Replace Sriraman

Sriraman replaces Daniel Brown, who was repositioned within the Amazon empire in September. Brown is now listed as director of product technology and video advertising for Amazon

Notably, Kathy Payne, a veteran cable industry executive who had served as head of content acquisition and management for Prime Video Channels, also appears to have left the company. 

Prior to joining BritBox in early 2017, Sriraman served as executive VP of franchise and digital enterprises at BBC Studios, the company that jointly launched BritBox with ITV. 

Souyma departed the New York-based BritBox shortly after the company announced the reaching of the 1.5 million subscriber benchmark. 

Last week, BritBox announced the promotion of Emily Powers to executive VP and head of BritBox North America.

BritBox, which focuses on UK content, is currently available in the U.S. and Canada. It has plans to expand to 25 countries later this year. 

Two weeks after CEO Soumya Sriraman announced plans to leave BritBox, the streaming services said it is promoting Emily Powers to executive VP and head of BritBox North America.

Powers had been senior VP and commercial head at BritBox and was a member of the original team that launched the joint venture between BBC and ITV that streams British TV shows to the U.S. and Canada. 

Powers is also overseeing the business operations for the launch of BritBox in Australia.

“Emily is one of the core team that developed and launched BritBox in North America and has played a large part in BritBox’s ongoing success over the last four years. Her strategic vision and extensive experience in video-on-demand make her a natural choice for the role and I look forward to continuing to work closely with her as she leads BritBox into an exciting new era,” said Martin Goswami, group strategic partnership and distribution director at ITV.

Powers joined BBC Studios in 2012. Before that she was director of business development at NBCUniversal’s digital distribution group.

“I look forward to guiding the growth of BritBox in North America. Over the past five years I have had the privilege of being part of the senior team that has transformed BritBox from an initial concept to a hit service with more than 1.5 million subscribers, which in turn has laid the foundation for global expansion,” Powers said. “In this new role, I will look for innovative ways to continue fostering the service’s success.”

BritBox, the streaming joint venture of BBC Studios and ITV, said that CEO Soumya Sriraman is stepping down, effective at the end of the month.

New leadership is expected to be announced in the coming weeks, the partners said.

Sriraman helped build and launch BritBox, which grew to 1.5 million subscribers, exceeding targets.

Read More: Soumya Sriraman's Wonder Women in Streaming Profile

“Soumya is a trailblazer. Her experience, leadership, and thorough knowledge of British content has been the perfect fit for BritBox. We thank Soumya for her passion and commitment in leading the BritBox team and shaping the service into what it is today,” said Rebecca Glashow, president, BBC Studios – Americas, and Martin Goswami, group strategic partnership and distribution director, ITV, in a statement.

“I have enjoyed writing every minute of the BritBox story - from imagining it six years ago to building and growing it! I am so proud of my team who has worked tirelessly to exceed all expectations. I am grateful to the leadership at the BBC and ITV for their stewardship on this journey and I now look forward to my next chapter,” said Sriraman.

Before BritBox, Sriraman was executive VP of Franchise and Digital Enterprises at BBC Studios - Americas,

BBC and ITV streaming service, BritBox, is providing NYC nurses and hospital employees with free subscriptions, starting May 6. The move is in recognition of National Nurses Week, which runs May 6 through the 12th.

BritBox will premiere four new series and special programming. A biopic on Florence Nightingale, best known as the mother of modern nursing on what would have been her bicentenary. It stars Laura Fraser (Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul) and shows the nurse's story and how she sparked global health care reform.

Super Nurses is one of the other docu-series that will be available. It tells the story of NHS cancer nurses and how they handle stressful situations at work while also trying to remain hopeful. Horrible Histories: Formidable Florence Nightingale is a comical series and shows that there is more to Florence Nightingale than being "The Lady With The Lamp."

Frankie is the story of Frankie Maddox, a heroine from the modern age "who looks life and death in the eye on a daily basis; her mission is to make a difference." The series stars Eve Myles (A Very English Scandal).

Employees at participating hospitals can sign up for three months of BritBox for free. BritBox is available for $6.99/month and is available on Roku, Apple TV, Samsung, LG and all iOS and Android devices, as well as at britbox.com.

Legacy linear brands bring a sense of credibility and gravitas that will help drive viewers and subscribers to new streaming offerings, a panel of TV executives said at the Future-produced Virtual Next TV Summit event Monday.

“Fundamentally, the value of a legacy brand or a well-known brand is simply trust,” PBS chief operating officer Jonathan Barzilay said during a panel session moderated by B&C contributing editor Paige Albiniak. He added that when the broadcaster started making short-form content for the web, it collectively did so via the PBS Digital Studio name. “By putting the PBS name on all of these independently produced short form series, that conveys something to the audience. ...The trust that people have in the PBS brand and the awareness that people have in the PBS brand, maybe gave us a little head start.”

At The Weather Group, parent of The Weather Channel network, president Tom O’Brien said its streaming offering Local Now benefits from the more established Weather Channel brand.

“The ability, the opportunity, is what you do with that brand. If you use it as an anchor, you use it as a basis of innovation,” O’Brien said.

Local Now is The Weather Group’s local news, weather, sports and traffic streaming service. O’Brien added that the service has added new programming -- a series offering advice and mental health insights during the COVID-19 pandemic called with Canadian author and therapist Dr. Wendy Walsh called Dr. Wendy Walsh Is Here for You, has expanded its American Science Lab science show during the COVID-19 lockdown and is live streaming the May 9 Feeding America Comedy Festival, a fundraiser for charity Feeding America. 

At BritBox, a joint venture between British television icons the BBC and ITV, the focus has been trying to balance those two brands to establish a new digital identity in the U.S., Canada and Australia.

“It’s an interesting balance because we want to build our own brand equity, but do so leveraging that of our parents,” said BritBox SVP and Commercial Head Emily Powers. “The way we do that is, it’s a lot about focusing on a content proposition that is both taking advantage of the vast library of our parents, as well as starting to launch some of our own originals. We convey to our audience, through our marketing materials, a certain tonality and sensibility that is respectful of the parent brands but also reaching a new audience.”

Ampersand SVP Agency Strategy Marion Hargett said legacy brands matter when launching OTT services because it gives potential viewers and customers a base on which to set their expectations.

“Many of the legacy players have a rooted history of delivering news and delivering content with standards to that delivery,” Hargett said. “... I think having a heritage is not a bad thing and I think being able to bring that knowledge to bear in the television ecosystem is really valuable.”

Picking the right distribution strategy also is important when a legacy brand launches a streaming option. At PBS, which is made up of hundreds of individual stations across the country all with a local presence, it made sense for PBS.org and the app to have a geo-location function so when a viewer logged in they were asked to verify their local station, and received information on the offerings on that channel. When PBS launched on YouTubeTV, it used the national feed.

“We do hope to eventually get to a place where that gets geo-targeted or tailored individually, but for right now it’s more important for us to be on the platform with some sort of presence rather than to precisely mirror the local station,” Barzilay said. “We do that wherever we can and whenever we can.”

At BritBox, Powers said that the distribution focus was initially to be on a few key platforms.

At launch, BritBox was available on Apple TV, Roku and also through syndicated channels like Amazon Channels and Apple TV Channels.

“For us it’s important to balance the business between direct-to-consumer and these channels because the channel gets you into every household, but does so in a way that has a much lower barrier to entry.”

Phase 2, she added, includes getting access to smart TV. BritBox has agreements with LG and Samsung, and expects more such deals in the future. 

The Virtual Next TV Summit is part of Future's Virtual NYC TV Week Spring. 

BBC- and ITV-backed SVOD service BritBox has announced that it now has an app for Amazon Fire TV. 

BritBox recently touted 15 million subscribers in the UK, where it competes directly with Netflix. The streaming platform offers shows including Downton Abbey, Top Gear, Happy Valley and Gavin & Stacey. Originals to BritBox include Classic Doctor Who, Cold Feet, Only Fools and Horses, and Shetland. 

Amazon said in early January that it has 40 million active users for its Fire TV worldwide, making it the leading OTT device ecosystem globally. Amazon Fire TV ranks second to Roku in market share in the U.S. 

BritBox was already available on Roku, Apple TV and Google Chromecast OTT devices, as well as a range of smart TVs, PC and Mac computers at britbox.co.uk, and Apple and Android mobile devices.

Subscription streaming service BritBox is focused on delivering quality, new and classic British Tv fare to American viewers, according to BritBox president Soumya Sriraman. 

The two-year old SVOD channel, created by ITV and BritBox, offers iconic favorites, exclusive premieres, and current series and soaps, most of which are available within 24 hours after their UK premiere, according to the service. Sriraman discusses the BritBox brand as well as the digital streaming platform in the latest episode of MCN Original Videos' "OTT Spotlight."

NAME: Soumya Sriraman
TITLE: President
COMPANY: BritBox
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Launched BritBox, the OTT British content service, in March 2017 and has seen remarkable growth (400,000 subs in September 2018, 500,000 in January 2019, currently more than 650K) thanks to savvy marketing, near-live North American premieres of U.K. events and programs, and great word of mouth
QUOTABLE: “You’re not going to switch to [a different service] when the thing you’ve already bought into is giving you what you want. Part of this loyalty must be marketing and the other part has to be being good at what you do.”

Ask the uninitiated to define what a traditional “military tattoo” is and they might say it’s some elaborately styled ink — perhaps reading “USMC” alongside a set of dog tags — appearing just below a person’s shoulder. However, ask the many thousands of BritBox subscribers who know better, and they’ll tell you the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo is a concert spectacle: a glorious, artistic annual performance featuring British Armed Forces and international military bands in stunning, parade-like formation.

They’ll also tell you the event is pure BritBox, the two-year-old specialty streaming service that channels British programming of unparalleled quality, popularity and uniqueness to the United States and Canada. The fast-growing service now boasts 650,000 happy subscribers, all of whom owe a debt of gratitude to Soumya Sriraman.

As the service’s founding president, Sriraman has been instrumental in creating a North American streaming home for BBC Studios and ITV content, featuring the likes of Agatha Christie and Blackadder, Vera with Brenda Blethyn, and Rowan Atkinson in Maigret, and John Cleese in Hold the Sunset, and the comedy classic Are You Being Served? But the OTT service goes that one better for the eager Anglophile. It combines not only the “new” and “known” shows, but offers a “Now” feature for near real-time premieres of programs such as popular British soaps EastEnders and Coronation Street, and many others.

“The ‘Now’ feature came from an incredibly creative idea of Soumya’s,” said Ann Sarnoff, the BBC Studios – Americas president who helped found BritBox before joining Warner Bros. as chair and CEO. “The ‘Now’ brings lifestyle, news, dramas, live events and much more within hours if not minutes from the original premiere in the U.K. BritBox is the only [subscription video-on-demand] service of its kind to offer this feature.”

Needless to say, such an idea, and its execution, requires a multitalented cross-platform mind to pull it off, and Sriraman is that rare talent. As she put it, “This is the first job that brings together my skills as an engineer, my natural leanings as an analyst, and my heart that cries out loud for the shows I love.”

Humble Beginnings

Sriraman’s own journey could be the stuff of award-winning drama. Her mother — raised by her grandparents because of her parents’ financial difficulties — had to set aside her dream of working in engineering. Instead, she insisted her three daughters (Sriraman was the oldest) become engineers. “I rebelled against it but it was ordained for me,” said Sriraman, who grew up in India (“We were a very lower-middle-class family,” she said) before earning her degree from Texas A&M. “But I’m grateful. Hindsight is 20/20, and in some ways it was that education that allowed me to bring a structured view to the way that I think about the world we’re in today.”

Sriraman made the most of every opportunity, notably as senior VP for theatrical marketing at Vivendi Universal (in a six-year run starting in 2004), then president and CEO at Palisades Tartan Films (relaunching the Tartan brand through notable releases), before landing at BBC Worldwide in 2011 as executive vice president, franchise and digital enterprises. While there, she grew brand platforms and broke records in expanding the home entertainment and licensing businesses (adding, among other crown jewels, Doctor Who and BBC Earth). In other words, she evolved her skills in preparation for a longtime dream of creating an over-the-top outlet for British content across the pond.

“The idea was to bring together a combination of new, now and known shows,” she said of BritBox’s origins. “And one of the things we knew was that this required equal parts content curation and technological prowess to pull off this near-live thing we wanted to do from day one.”

The rubber truly met the road when Sarnoff informed her in summer 2016 that ITV Studios content might be available in the deal. ITV and the BBC being competitors, it seemed a long shot, but Sriraman knew the tie-up was essential if BritBox would live up to its potential of the best and biggest British shows. “Getting this done was just not easy,” she said, but the partners agreed on one thing: “We have a common mission, let’s work together toward that.” By the fall, the papers were signed, and BritBox ultimately launched in March 2017.

Still, even if Sriraman knew great niche content was a “field of dreams” for North American viewers, she also realized simply building it — given a league of coliseum-like competition from the likes of Netflix and Hulu — didn’t mean the faithful would now just come. That’s where her savvy marketing came in. The “Now” feature gave viewers a sense of connection to programming most other services don’t exploit, along with an increased sense of place and even loyalty.

Analysis indicating a core audience of women age 45 and over from the South and Midwest led to expanded originality in programming and marketing ideas. A reasonable cost ($6.99 per month; $69.99 per year), strategic social media and great word of mouth have led to swift growth. And tapping the mystery genre programming Sriraman loves, The Bletchley Circle: San Francisco is both BritBox’s foray into created originals and the resurrection of a fine franchise. The future of BritBox looks bright, especially with Sriraman leading the parade.

Digital streaming service BritBox on May 14 will launch its comedy series, Living The Dream. 

The series, which stars Philip Glenister, Lesley Sharp, Kim Fields and Kevin Nash, follows a British family who relocates from England to Florida to take ownership of a fledgling RV park and soon discovers that the American dream is not all it’s cracked up to be, according to the service.

Fields and Nash discuss the series in a new MCN Content Spotlight original video. 

RELATED: Kim Fields Is Still Living The Dream

Hulu’s George Clooney-produced original series Catch-22 is among several new shows debuting over the next seven days.

The series, based on the classic Joseph Heller novel, premieres May 17 and follows the adventures and misadventures of a US air squadron in Italy in World War II, according to Hulu.

HBO teams with NBA superstar LeBron James for a documentary on the life of legendary heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali. What’s My Name: Muhammad Ali, debuts May 14 and explores Ali’s greatest triumphs and comebacks, painting an intimate portrait of a man who, against all odds, dreamed and achieved the impossible, according to the network. 

Below are video trailers and premiere dates for several shows debuting this week on cable networks and streaming service:

May 13 -- LA’s Finest (drama series) -- Spectrum

May 14 -- Living The Dream (comedy series) -- Britbox

May 17 -- Fleabag (returning series) -- Prime Video

May 17 -- It’s Bruno (comedy series) -- Netflix

May 17 -- See You Yesterday (sci-fi movie) -- Netflix

Actress Kim Fields has entertained television viewers for more than 40 years with memorable and iconic characters, from the young, bubbly Dorothy “Tootie” Ramsey on 1980s sitcom The Facts of Life to the sexy and funny Regina “Regine” Hunter on Living Single in the 1990s. Her latest starring role is in streaming service Britbox TV’s comedy Living the Dream, premiering Tuesday, May 14.

At the Multicultural TV Summit on April 30 in New York (see Freeze Frame), Multichannel News and Broadcasting & Cable honored Fields with the Multicultural Voice Award for playing positive and uplifting characters of color throughout her career. After accepting the award, Fields spoke with MCN about her future aspirations and the increasing opportunities for the distribution of multicultural TV programming. An edited version of the discussion appears below.

MCN: What’s next for you in your career?
Kim Fields: I’m always a fan of going into uncharted waters. In 2016, when I was blessed to celebrate my 40th year in the industry [by doing shows like Dancing With the Stars and Real Housewives of Atlanta], those were areas and genres that I had not yet been in. I don’t want to do something that I’ve already done. That said, it’s not that I’ll never do another comedy … I just want to have a different voice. That’s why the new British comedy [Living the Dream] was a great experience and opportunity. I’m also developing a graphic novel series and with the characters that I’m creating from a sci-fi perspective, if I wanted to go into a much darker sci-fi delve I can do that. In that sense I can be the storyteller, the narrator and character without having to fight the ghosts of my characters past.

MCN: Has the increase in distribution platforms provided more opportunities for you and other creators of color to get their projects to viewers?
KF: Very much so. The whole game has shifted. The gatekeepers and the good old boys club have died down. They’re not gone completely, but [increased distribution outlets] have provided a lot more opportunities. The additional playgrounds, as I like to call them, are fantastic because now I’m able to be in the driver’s seat a lot more. We’re developing a streaming service for inspirational content and I’m the gatekeeper for that, so [for audiences] we’re able to provide another playground.

MCN: Are we in a golden age for multicultural content, or is this a trend like we’ve seen in the past in which there’s a temporary plethora of content, only for it to eventually disappear?
KF: Unfortunately, history repeats itself and unfortunately there are a number of things that are just cyclical. To me one of the ways to break the cycle is that fact that we now have other playgrounds to take our content to. Let’s take Living Single. That show first came on the airways on Fox when the network was all black people — Sinbad and Steve Harvey had a show, there was Martin — and these shows were building a lot of momentum. Then of course soon after it was “thank you, bye bye” to all of those shows. Let’s say Netflix or Hulu was in the 1990s — we could say to [Fox], “You could have your funky trend on building your business on the backs of others and then cutting them off after you’re successful, but we could go over here and continue [our] momentum and be successful.” I feel that’s one way the cycle can be broken.

MCN: There’s been talk about a Living Single reboot. Would you be interested in reviving your character Regine in the series, and overall how do you view the reboot series trend?
KF: First, I’m thrilled how everyone has responded to a potential reboot. The thing about it is when you have a hit, it feels like you’ve caught lightning in a bottle. So you have to be mindful of that if you’re trying to do that again. Is that lightning going to strike again? Is everyone on board going to be able to move the bottle the way they did before? There’s a lot of moving parts to it. At the end of the day, if you don’t do it right, they’ll remember what you messed up of their beloved show even more than the beloved show itself. So you almost don’t want to mess with it.

BritBox, the British TV-focused SVOD service launched about a year ago, will be looking to lure in more subscribers with its first ad campaign.

The multimillion campaign will focus on drive time radio as well as promos across TV, social and digital channels.

RELATED: SVOD Shakeout: The Survival of the Fittest (subscription required)

BritBox said a big part of the campaign will be focused in markets such as Portland, Ore., and Austin, Texas, which have proved to be a hotbed for new subscribers. BritBox, a service from BBC Worldwide and ITV, noted that a large percentage of its audience is women over 55 that live in cities beyond major hubs such as New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

The TV spots feature British TV actor and comedian Alan Davies. Who describes BritBox as an “escape.”

“This is the new streaming home of great British telly,” he says. “Browse mysteries to histories…Comedies to cookeries.”

The ads then tout a seven-day free trial. The U.S. offering sells for $6.99 per month. 

BritBox announced last month that the U.S. service has more than 250,000 subscribers. It recently launched in Canada. In addition to its standalone offering, BritBox is also sold through Amazon Channels, Amazon’s SVOD aggregation service for Prime members.

RELATED: BritBox Arrives on U.S. Shores

AMC Networks reported higher fourth-quarter earnings as benefits from the new tax law helped offset lower income and revenue at its U.S. cable networks.

Net income was $146 million, or $2.33 per share, up from $14 million, or 20 cents a share. The earnings included a $67.9 million benefit from the new corporate tax law. The programmer also gained $11 million by repatriating foreign earnings.

Related: AMC Networks Offers to Buy RLJ Entertainment for $60M

Revenue fell 0.4% to $727 million.

At AMC’s national networks, including AMC, WE tv, Sundance, IFC and BBC America, operating income was down 6.5% to $176 million.

Revenue fell 1.3% to $606 million at the national networks. Distribution revenue was up 6.8% but advertising revenue was down 9.9% to $269 million because of lower delivery of viewers.

Programming and other expenses were up, including a $38 million writeoff for programming assets.

"AMC Networks delivered record financial results in 2017, increasing net revenues and adjusted operating income for the seventh consecutive year since becoming a public company, and generating significant free cash flow that we are using to invest in key strategic initiatives and our networks," said CEO Josh Sapan.

Related: BritBox Crosses 250K Sub Mark

"Our recent distribution deals with the streaming services fuboTV and Philo make AMC Networks available on more virtual MVPDS than any other independent programmer, proving the value of our discrete brands and our desirable, high-quality content,” Sapan said.

“Our owned streaming services Sundance Now and Shudder are seeing healthy subscriber growth and their momentum, coupled with the growth of the other streaming services we have invested in, including Acorn TV, Urban Movie Channel, and the BBC and ITV's Britbox, highlights consumer demand for subscription streaming services with specialized content," he added. "As we continue to evolve and adapt in a world of changing viewer consumption habits, we believe AMC Networks occupies a position of unique strength and are confident that our size, our focus, and our portfolio of assets will enable us to continue to deliver strong financial results to our shareholders."

BritBox, the SVOD service backed by BBC, ITV and AMC Networks, said it has generated about 250,000 subscribers about a year after its U.S. debut, and soon after its expansion into Canada.

RELATED: BritBox Arrives on U.S. Shores

Among other updates, BritBox said it has doubled the number of available hours of content since launch, now exceeding 4,600 hours of British TV programing. BritBox said it has also committed to a 50% increase in original and acquired programming investment for the upcoming year.

BritBox goes for $6.99 per month in the U.S., and is supported on several platforms, including Roku, Apple TV, iOS and Android mobile devices, the Chromecast streaming adapter and web browsers. It is also offered through Amazon Channels, Amazon’s SVOD aggregation service for Prime members.

BritBox has reached its subscriber milestone amid an explosion of SVOD services and a market that now appears ripe for a correction or a shake out. For more on that trend, and what SVOD services, including BritBox, are doing to differentiate in a fragmented market, see this week’s cover story in Broadcasting & Cable.

RELATED: SVOD Shakeout: The Survival of the Fittest (subscription required)

Strategy Analytics estimates that more than 250 million homes currently subscribe to a streaming video service, and is poised to grow to 300 million by the end of 2018, and 450 million by 2020. Those numbers are focused on SVOD, and do not include virtual MVPD services such as DirecTV Now.

The research firm also found that the average monthly household spend on streaming video services rose 5% in 2017, to $9.46, and that the average household is paying for 1.39 streaming services.

BritBox, the recently launched SVOD service from the BBC and ITV,  said it has become the exclusive U.S. streaming home to the “classic” Doctor Who catalogue, representing episodes that originally aired from 1963 to 1989.

BritBox will also feature curated Doctor Who playlists such as “Monsters,” which focus on episodes that feature foes such as the Daleks, and “Companions.” In the “coming months,” the service will also feature audio of “lost” classic Doctor Who episodes.

BritBox launched in the U.S. last month for $6.99 per month.

“Doctor Who continues to be a global phenomenon that spans generations. Whovians in the U.S. now have a one-stop-shop for the most comprehensive catalog of Classic Doctor Who to either relive the exciting adventures with their favorite Classic Doctors, or experience for the first time how it all began,” said Soumya Sriraman, president of BritBox, in a statement.

RELATED: Soumya Sriraman Takes Helm of BritBox, North America

Soumya Sriraman has been appointed president, North America of BritBox, an SVOD service that’s expected to launch in the U.S. in Q1.

The coming SVOD offering is a joint venture of BBC Worldwide and U.K.-based broadcaster ITV. AMC Networks, which has a J.V. with BBC Worldwide for cable net BBC America, is on board as an investor in BritBox with a non-voting minority interest.

RELATED: ‘BritBox’ to Hit U.S. in Q1 2017

Sriraman was most recently was EVP of franchise and digital enterprises at BBC Worldwide North America. Her successor will be announced in the coming weeks, the company said.

In her new role, Sriraman will head up the overall strategy and operation of BritBox, with a focus on bringing British content to the service through a mix of acquisitions, licensing, co-productions, and partnerships.

Prior to joining BBC Worldwide North America, Sriraman was CEO of Palisades Tartan, a British/American film distribution company, and is also late of Universal, Warner, and Vivendi.

“Soumya has an outstanding historical knowledge and familiarity with British content. This, coupled with her creativity and excellent business acumen makes her the ideal executive to fill this role,” Ann Sarnoff, president, BBC Worldwide North America, said in a statement. “I am confident that Soumya is going to make this service a success, as she has done in all her endeavors for the last five years at BBC Worldwide North America.”

"I have personally waited a long time for a service with an offering like this - one with a breadth and depth of compelling content from powerful content producers like the BBC and ITV - all in one place," added Sriraman.

BBC Worldwide and U.K.-based broadcaster ITV are teaming on BritBox, an ad-free SVOD service focused on British TV that will debut in the U.S. sometime in Q1 2017.

AMC Networks, which has a J.V. with BBC Worldwide for cable net BBC America, is on board as an investor in BritBox with a non-voting minority interest. BBC Worldwide and ITV have an equal majority stake in the BritBox venture.

BritBox, which carries the tagline “Indulge your inner Brit,” will feature classic and newer British TV series, including New Blood, Tutankhamun, The Moonstone,In The Dark,Cold Feet Silent Witness, Pride and Prejudice, and Fawlty Towers. The service’s “Now” category will also include soaps and series that will be available as rapidly as 24 hours after their U.K. broadcast debut, including titles such as Eastenders,Emmerdale and Holby City.

Pricing for BritBox has not been announced, but, at launch, the service will be offered on iOS and Android mobile devices, Web browsers, Roku players and Roku TVs, Apple TV devices, and optimized for the Google Chromecast streaming adapter.

“The BBC and ITV are the two most prolific content producers and broadcasters in British television – both known for their unrivaled, ground-breaking shows,” said Ann Sarnoff, President, BBC Worldwide North America. “BritBox will offer a streaming experience like no other, with thousands of hours of programs across a wide variety of genres – some of which will be available right after their UK broadcast.  This will be a must-have service for lovers of British television,” Ann Sarnoff, president of BBC Worldwide North America, said in a statement.

“ITV is now a global production and distribution business and this marks the first step in our international ambitions for BritBox.” Added Simon Pitts, ITV’s managing director of online, pay TV and interactive.

“We are delighted to expand our current partnership with BBC Worldwide and view this investment as a strategic opportunity for AMC Networks to participate in a digital platform dedicated to offering shows of the highest quality,” said Josh Sapan, president and CEO of AMC Networks