Britain is second only to the United States in terms of the number of enjoyable, high-quality television shows it produces, and that’s all thanks to the BBC. The British broadcaster has an immense catalog of content, only a fraction of which is easily obtainable by people outside of the United Kingdom, which is why the BBC has announced that it’ll be launching its own Netflix-esque online subscription service in the United States next year. Unfortunately, due to the BBC’s distribution deals with BBC America and PBS, Doctor Who and Sherlock won’t be immediately available on the service.
Britain’s BBC will launch an online subscription service in the United States next year, boosting revenues for the public broadcaster and allowing viewers to watch shows on demand. “We’re launching a new OTT (over-the-top) video service in America offering BBC fans programmes they wouldn’t otherwise get, showcasing British actors, our programme-makers and celebrating our culture,” the BBC’s Director General Tony Hall said at the industry’s RTS Convention in Cambridge. Some of the most-popular BBC content, such as “Doctor Who” and “Top Gear”, is already available on its BBC America digital network, a joint venture with AMC Networks. The BBC did not name any shows that would be on the new service. It did not say what the service would be called. The announcement comes as the BBC faces an uncertain future under a Conservative government which has embarked on the biggest review of the broadcaster in at least a decade, questioning its purpose, funding, size, Internet activities and even entertainment output. To that end, Culture Secretary John Whittingdale has raised the possibility of selling off BBC Worldwide, the BBC’s commercial arm that sells its programmes around the world.
