- BritBox, an online digital video streaming subscription service founded by BBC Studios and ITV, has announced that it will discontinue its service in South Africa in August 2024.
- Per the streaming company, it’s refocusing "on more established markets and areas of the business with higher growth opportunities."
- This development comes three years after its launch in the country, when subscribers gained access to several British series and films, including content from the UK's four major public service broadcasters — BBC, iTV, Channel 4, and Channel 5.
On May 2, the company informed annual subscribers that they would be automatically renewed as monthly subscribers and would be charged R99.99 ($5) per month with no further action required on their part.
In June 2023, MultiChoice Group added BritBox to the content offerings on its DStv Explora Ultra and DStv Streama boxes.
Given that the company disclosed in May 2022 that South Africa was a contributing factor to the 2.5 million international subscribers it reported the previous month, many subscribers may be surprised by this development.
Also, in September 2022, BritBox's global CEO, Reemah Sakaan, stated, "South Africa has been among the most 'rabid' in terms of overall volume, hours, and minutes [streamed] of any market in the world."
Meanwhile, South Africa's streaming market has been quite competitive. Prime Video, Netflix, Showmax, DStv, Britbox, Apple TV, Disney+, and Stream Premium have all competed for a significant portion of the market.
As of February 2024, Amazon Prime Video was rated higher than others, with an average rating of 4.55 out of five on the Apple App and Google Play Stores in South Africa.
The streaming platform charges R79 ($4) per month. According to data, it offers 9,509 titles in South Africa, of which 1,350 are TV series and 8,159 are films.
According to Statista, the South African streaming market is expected to generate $3.3 million in revenue in 2024, with a 10.61% annual growth rate (CAGR 2024-2028), resulting in a projected market volume of $4.9 million by 2028.