Talk:BritBox

Excessive list

I'm intending to severely trim the lists of programmes, as they're unwieldy and excessively promotional. Unless anyone wants to advocate for particular programmes to remain, I'm just going to be bold and use my own judgement. ~dom Kaos~ (talk) 13:31, 28 February 2019 (UTC)

Article Split

This article will need splitting up into 2 or more articles eventually for a few reasons, but I'm not going to be the one to do it. First there's the ownership problem, and the difference between the BBC and BBC Studios which I've been trying to explain to non-Brits (mainly Americans) for years on other websites.

The BBC is a TV network paid for by the British public buying the TV Licence, which every household with access to a TV has to pay, whether they like it or not. There's a myth which has been going around for years that says "if you don't watch the BBC then you don't have to pay," which is complete rubbish, as shown by the question "What is live TV and when do I need a licence for it?" in the questions section, on the "Check if you need one?" page of the "TV Licensing" website. It funds the BBC's TV channels, BBC radio stations, and BBC workers in the UK only.

Whereas BBC Studios is a commercial production and distribution company, which is funded by making programmes for any network, distributing programmes on any network or service around the world, on DVD, Blu-ray, or on it's many international channels outside of the UK.

Therefore in the UK the BBC owns 10% and ITV plc owns 90%.

In the USA and Canada BBC Studios owns 50% and ITV plc owns 50%, as the BBC isn't allowed to spend money on things outside the UK.

And in Australia it's going to be BBC Studios owns 50% and ITV plc owns 50%.

Then there's the problem that people in the UK can't access the US version, and people in the US can't access the UK version, even just to browse and see what shows are available, without a VPN. It's probably the same for Canada and the upcoming Australian version too.

And then there's all the differences in shows that will be available, depending which country you're in.

It's basically like saying Fox Broadcasting Company and FX (TV channel) are the same thing, as they're owned by different people, and broadcast different shows, just like BritBox (UK) and BritBox (US).

Danstarr69 (talk) 03:10, 17 April 2020 (UTC)

You haven't actually given a reason as to why there is a need to split the article, nor have you given any indication as to what the new articles should be. All you have done here is rant about the difference between the BBC and BBC Studios and offered up no evidence whatsoever as to the BBC owning 10% of BritBox and ITV owning 90%. – Dyolf87 (talk) 11:21, 2 December 2020 (UTC)

Hi, I forgot to mention the edit I made to the article, here, last year, as in, adding a table to better clarify the ownership of the joint venture. When Danstarr69 made the comment here, the article lacked any clear description of the ownership of the service (basically just the US ownership structure and not mentioning the difference in the UK). I agree that splitting the article wouldn't make much sense as all other streaming services operating across borders usually have one main article, even though BritBox is unique in its structure, a simple section of the article would likely describe the situation better than a new article. - Dank · Jay (talk) 20:09, 7 April 2021 (UTC)

Regards to ownership, BBC News and the ITV Press Centre say the service in the UK is 90% ITV owned and controlled, whereas local ventures in other countries are only 50% ITV "Internationally, BritBox operates as a 50/50 joint venture between BBC Studios and ITV" - Dank · Jay (talk) 20:09, 7 April 2021 (UTC)

At some point it would need to be a split when this article gets too large (e.g List of BritBox original programming) but that might have a wait earliest I could imagine a draft starting is late 2021 as there currently not enough for it to be a page by itself. Fan Of Lion King 🦁 (talk) 16:20, 5 December 2020 (UTC)

A split for BritBox's original programming would ideally be done once sufficient original programming details have been added to the article to the point it is too long, (let say 25 shows?). Due to Covid, potentially this will occur by 2022, depending on how much programming they were able to finish, this and last year. So basically, yeah I agree, and we'll just have to wait and see how much programming there is by late 2021-2022 - Dank · Jay (talk) 20:09, 7 April 2021 (UTC)

Logo update

I think it's time for the logo on the article to be updated from the black one to the current, red and blue logo. – Dyolf87 (talk) 11:23, 2 December 2020 (UTC)

Done :) - Dank · Jay (talk) 20:09, 7 April 2021 (UTC)

Videotape vs streaming

Anyone think it would be appropriate to note that videotaped shows on BritBox don't display the same smooth motion they exhibit on linear TV or DVD, due to their being streamed at 25fps progressive as opposed to interlaced? Lee M (talk) 18:58, 7 April 2021 (UTC)

If sufficient news articles make mention of the difference in quality, and with references provided, ideally yes under limitations or a new section of criticism (or if you believe it should be in another section). If there aren't sources then likely not, with the likely expectation that BritBox will patch the issue in the future. - Dank · Jay (talk) 20:17, 7 April 2021 (UTC)

HELP

How do I get BritBox on my television ? 2A02:6B61:9072:0:9932:D379:1A83:DEFD (talk) 09:45, 17 November 2021 (UTC)

If your 'smart' TV is like ours - too old to receive updates any more, effectively "soft bricking" it - then my only suggestion is to get a remote TV input controller/stick from Amazon or Google, etc.--2A00:23C4:3E08:4000:7DF5:BFB2:A89C:2C26 (talk) 22:30, 8 April 2022 (UTC)

Logo with new BBC logo

As of 16 July 2022, at britbox.com/us (archive link; 15 July) (as well as britbox.com/ca, /au, and /za; may need a VPN aside US) the logo still used contains the old BBC logo. This logo containing the new BBC logo is sourced from user-generated site Logopedia which sets out the logo with the old BBC logo to be interpreted as the current logo (it is the logo under "present"), and this logo with the new BBC logo is described as an "Alternate variant with the new BBC corporate logo" not indicating that this is currently used. It is likely the logo with the new BBC logo would replace the one with the old BBC logo in the future, but as of 16 July 2022 this has not happened on their website, which is why I have reverted (albeit good faith) edits to the logo. The UK site omits the tagline "by BBC & ITV" entirely, likely as its now wholly ITV-owned. If other sources, aside the website (which should be one of the first, really), showing this new logo then I'll accept its inclusion. Many Thanks – DankJae 14:29, 16 July 2022 (UTC)

Old logo still used as of 16 August. DankJae 14:24, 16 August 2022 (UTC)

I would also like to note that the source for the logo with the new BBC logo, has since removed the logo entirely. DankJae 15:44, 16 August 2022 (UTC)

Still the logo as of 20 October 2022 has the old BBC logo. No evidence of logo with new BBC logo and the file on commons is Fan-made. DankJae 10:21, 21 October 2022 (UTC)

A Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion

The following Wikimedia Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion:

• BritBox.svg

Participate in the deletion discussion at the nomination page. —Community Tech bot (talk) 13:07, 21 August 2022 (UTC)

Lead is too long, detailed

The lead needs a rewrite. It is meant to highlight the article, not list changes by date. - - Prairieplant (talk) 21:59, 31 August 2025 (UTC)

Executives and Subscriber Count

I am writing on behalf of BritBox as a paid contractor for CWC. I am disclosing this in accordance with Wikipedia's Terms of Use regarding paid editing. I would like to request updates to the BritBox article to reflect changes in executive leadership updated subscriber numbers.

1) Executives (infobox + article text)

Request: Several executives listed in the Infobox and article text have left the company, and new leadership has been appointed.

Please remove: Reemah Sakaan (CEO), left BritBox in 2024. Source: https://deadline.com/2024/03/britbox-international-new-leader-bbc-studios-takeover-1235860947/ Emily Powers (EVP North America). Source: https://www.c21media.net/news/hallmark-media-hires-britbox-alum-emily-powers-to-oversee-streaming-and-digital/ Moira Horgan, left BritBox in 2024. Source: https://au.variety.com/2025/tv/news/moira-hogan-britbox-australia-28421/

Please add/update: Robert Schildhouse as President, BritBox (promoted in 2024). Sources:

 - https://www.bbcstudios.com/about-us/executive-committee/robert-schildhouse/
 - https://www.vulture.com/article/britbox-british-tv-streaming-robert-schildhouse.html

Diana Pessin as Chief Marketing Officer since 2024. Sources:

 - https://deadline.com/2024/06/britbox-international-cmo-north-american-deals-the-inheritance-1235958371/
 - https://brand-innovators.com/cmo-of-the-week-britboxs-diana-pessin/

Jon Farrar as EVP Programming, BritBox. Source:

 - https://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/international/britbox-international-bags-ex-skyshowtime-programming-head/5189077.article

2) Subscriber count (infobox + article text)

Request: Please update the subscriber count figure in the infobox and article text to "More than 4 million" as of 2025. Source: - https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/britbox-us-subscriber-update-4-million-1236153363/ KateNV (talk) 15:00, 4 February 2026 (UTC)

Note: Changed to COI edit request Aston305 (complain/compliment) 15:36, 4 February 2026 (UTC)

Reply 20-MAY-2026

  Unable to implement  

• Your edit request could not be implemented because the provided references are not formatted correctly. The citation style predominantly used by the BritBox article is Citation Style 1 (CS1). The citation style used in the edit request consists of bare URL's. Any requested edit of yours which may be implemented will need to resemble the current style already in use in the article – in this case, CS1. (See WP:CITEVAR.) In the extended section below titled Citation style, I have illustrated two examples: one showing how the edit request was submitted, and another showing how requests should be submitted in the future:

Citation style

Bare URL reference formatting:

The Sun's diameter is 864,337 miles, while the Moon's diameter is 2,159 miles. The Sun's temperature is 5,778 Kelvin.

References

---

1. https://www.booksource.com
2. http://www.journalsource.com
3. http://www.websource.com

In the example above there are three URL's provided with the claim statements, but these URL's have not been placed using Citation Style 1, which is the style predominantly used by the BritBox article. Using this style, the WikiFormatted text should resemble the following:

Citation Style 1 formatting:

The Sun's diameter is 864,337 miles,<ref>{{cite book|last1=Sjöblad|first1=Tristan|title=The Sun|url=http://www.booksource.com|publisher=Academic Press|date=2020|page=1}}</ref> while the Moon's diameter is 2,159 miles.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Harinath|first1=Prisha|title=Size of the Moon|journal=Science|issue=78|volume=51|url=http://www.journalsource.com|date=2020|page=46}}</ref> The Sun's temperature is 5,778 Kelvin.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Uemura|first1=Shu|title=The Sun's Heat|url=http://www.websource.com|publisher=Academic Press|date=2020|page=2}}</ref>

Which displays as:

The Sun's diameter is 864,337 miles, while the Moon's diameter is 2,159 miles. The Sun's temperature is 5,778 Kelvin.

References

---

In the example above the references have been formatted according to Citation Style 1, which shows the author, the source's name, date, etc., all information which is lost when only the links are provided. As Wikipedia is a volunteer project, edit requests such as yours are generally expected to have this formatting done before the request is submitted for review.

Kindly resubmit the edit request below at your earliest convenience, taking care to ensure that it makes use of CS1. If you have any questions about this formatting please don't hesitate to ask myself or another editor. Regards,  Spintendo  11:02, 20 May 2026 (UTC)

Notes

References