BritBox announces South African rollout for H2 2021

UK content streamer BritBox will launch in South Africa in the second half of 2021, ITV has announced.

The service, which operates as a joint-venture of ITV and BBC Studios, will expand into its fifth worldwide territory following launches in the US, Canada, the UK and Australia.

The expansion comes as a part of an ongoing global rollout, announced in July 2020, that will see BritBox launch in 25 countries. The company is yet to specify the full scope of this rollout, but it has said that it will largely focus on countries with a strong expat population.

South Africa is one such country, with ITV noting that it and the BBC already have a strong presence in the country via linear channels ITV Choice and BBC First – both of which have recently shut down in anticipation of BritBox’s launch. The South African business will operate as a straight-down-the-middle 50/50 JV.

Martin Goswami, Group Strategic Partnership and Distribution Director at ITV, said: “The launch of BritBox in South Africa is yet another step in the platform’s trajectory towards international expansion. We’re delighted to bring the service to a brand new territory and continue towards establishing BritBox as a premium VOD brand across the world.” 

Paul Dempsey, President, Global Distribution, BBC Studios, said: “We know that South African audiences have a real connection to British television and we can’t wait to bring  them even more great shows, on demand, that we know they will love.”