You love British TV—even if you don’t know it. For decades, British programming has enjoyed massive success in the United States, with breakout hits such as Downton Abbey , Sherlock , Doctor Who , The IT Crowd , and more. Even indirectly, British shows have influenced culture stateside. There are the oft-cited adaptations such as The Office , Veep , Shameless , Whose Line Is It Anyway? , and Skins , where both versions usually coexist in their fandoms. But then there some shows so rooted in Americana, it’s easy to forget they too were based on or inspired by British shows: All in the Family ( Till Death Us Do Part ), Sanford and Son ( Steptoe and Son ), Three’s Company ( Man About the House ), and Cheers ( Fawlty Towers ). Whether it’s the shows themselves or just the format and plot, British programming has a hold on American audiences—and niche streamer BritBox has been capitalizing on that. As a joint venture between the BBC and ITV, BritBox launched in the United States in 2017 as the premier destination for British programming. Many speculated whether two TV titans from across the pond could collectively rival the likes of Netflix stateside—but that was never the intent with BritBox. Instead, BritBox was contending with other Anglophilic players such as Walter Presents and Acorn TV (a service owned by AMC Networks, which also has a minority stake in BritBox), both of which were already established with U.S. audiences. Even within that specific category, BritBox is a standout, with more than 1.7 million subscribers. At the core of BritBox’s success has been super serving an overlooked demographic of women 45 and older who, by BritBox’s measure, are heavily invested in mysteries and crime stories. “There’re a lot of [streaming services] out there who are trying to be all things to all people. That is not who we are,” says Emily Powers, EVP and head of BritBox North America. “We are very much trying to meet an unfulfilled demand for certain types of content to a certain demographic, and that’s been the key to our success.” Although there is a pernicious bit of conventional wisdom that the streaming giants will overwhelm more tailored offerings, there are many niche players owning their communities in a way that an everything-to-everyone service never will. The Criterion Channel caters to cinephiles; Mubi , even more so with a heavier focus on curation. kweliTV focuses on Black content. Read More …
