How the three newcomers Apple TV+, BritBox and Disney+ will reshuffle the UK’s viewerships
Three new streaming services, Apple TV+, BritBox and Disney+ (coming to the UK March 2020) launched this November – highlighting an ongoing shift away from traditional broadcast television to subscription-based video-on-demand service (SVoD).
Strategy and Research Group Director at Ofcom Yih-Choung Teh told Raven News: “The way we watch TV is changing faster than ever before.
“In recent years, streaming services have grown from nothing to the dominant form of entertainment.”
Ofcom’s Media Nations Report states that in Q1 of 2019 almost half of UK households, amounting to 13.3 million, subscribe to at least one of Netflix, Amazon, NOW TV or Disney Life – an increase of 2.14 million viewers compared to 2018.
Traditional media and technology companies, who have denied the rise of internet television for years, are now fighting an uphill battle with streaming giants such as Netflix and Amazon Prime in the UK.
However, Enders Analysis’ data reveals that UK households currently have an average of 1.4 subscriptions each, indicating the willingness of people to subscribe to more than just one service at a time – which is great news for others looking to break into the market.
Apple TV+
- UK Launch Date: 1st November 2019
- Price: £4.99
Apple launched its service on the promise of original high-quality content, such as The Morning Show, starring Jennifer Anniston, Reese Witherspoon, and Steve Carrell, along with several other shows featuring big Hollywood names.
While the current content is limited to nine shows online, Apple aims to use its dominance in the technology market as an advantage to promote Apple TV+. Apple announced on its official website that customers who purchase any new Apple product will have free access to Apple TV+ for one year.
CEO of Apple Tim Cook described the move as a “gift to our users”, which would allow the company to “focus on maximizing subscribers.” With over 18 million iPad users in the UK and iOS, Apple’s operating system, having almost half of the market share, Apple can be certain to reach a large audience.
BritBox
- UK Launch Date: 7th November 2019
- Price: £5.99
A merger between Britain’s largest broadcasters BBC and ITV, the streaming service launched with over 1,000 hours of British classics, including 627 episodes of Doctor Who, Downton Abbey, Broadchurch and David Attenborough documentaries.
However, ITV Marketing Director Amy Townsend stated that Britbox does not intend to go “head-to-head” with Netflix and that there is a “secondary audience” drawn by “the familiar faces and titles that they know and love already.”
“There is significant headroom for us all to play in this space,” she said.
BritBox’s target audience are people who are already subscribed to streaming services. Recent research by YouGov shows that only 23% of people are considering subscribing to Britbox, a figure that doubles when people are already subscribed to a different SVoD.
Disney+
- UK Launch Date: 31st March 2020
- Price: £5.99 (estimated)
Similar to BritBox, Disney+ will feature its own back catalogue of films and television series. Apart from the original Disney animations, the platform will showcase the company’s most popular franchises including Pixar, Marvel and Star Wars.
Based on its wide array of popular content, Senior research analyst at Enders Analysis Tom Harrington said that “Disney+ is the most likely of the new streaming services to make a dent in the market.”
It’s “brand identity” and “targeting of the family” give Disney a clear advantage in the market and provides Disney with the ability to “strike carriage deals for the services,” he said.
A recent survey by ExpressVPN shows that one out of four consumers in the UK plan to subscribe to Disney+. Another survey by Ampere Analysis states that interviewees believe Disney+ could reach as much as 10%-15% of UK households over the next five years.