VIEWERS who were late to the BritBox game – or simply want to watch it before it disappears – are no longer able to subscribe.
BritBox, launched in 2019 between the UK’s biggest broadcasters, was revealed to be shutting down in early February.
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While there was hope that it might stay alive in some from on Amazon’s Prime Video, that dream quickly faded last week.
Now ITV has revealed to The Sun that Amazon has stopped new viewers from subscribing to the soon-retired BritBox.
An ITV spokesperson said: “Amazon Prime has turned off the ‘subscribe’ button and removed some promotional ad placements on the BritBox Prime Video Channel in the run up to the upcoming service closure.”
BritBox will cease operating as a standalone service on 30 April.
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From that date onwards, BritBox content will only be available via ITVX or BBC iPlayer.
Although the date might be different for those subscribing through Prime Video.
Previously, viewers could subscribe to BritBox via Prime Video, where they were able to combine their membership costs for both streaming services.
According to ITV, existing subscribers will “continue to have access to the service until closure”.
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But customers will receive a message from Amazon “regarding channel closure and date later this week”.
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Streamlining efforts
Last week, ITV CEO Carolyn McCall said the move to axe the BritBox standalone app formed part of ITVs plans to streamline its services.
“In 2024, the BritBox UK service on Amazon Prime Video Channels and the BritBox UK standalone app will close as we further simplify our offering,” said McCall.
“This will consolidate all our subscribers under one ITVX Premium brand and will give us complete ownership of the subscriber base.
“The closure of these services is expected to impact subscriber numbers and subscription revenues in 2024.”
It comes just days after the ITV quietly axed its Catchup channel on Prime Video.
The ITV Catchup channel, previously known as ITV Hub+, allowed Prime Video viewers to dodge adverts at a cheaper cost.
For advert-haters, the Prime Video version was cheaper than a full ITVX Premium subscription – and it gave them access to more content.
Now it seems that all signs are pointing towards the ITVX app, which will become the only place to catch up on missed shows from the broadcasting house.
How can I watch ITVX?
ITVX is not currently available on some older TVs.
A range of Humax Freeview and Freesat boxes, as well as certain models of Samsung Smart TVs, are unable to support the new ITVX app.
ITVX doesn’t work on some older iPhones and iPads, either.
For viewers with older telly boxes, ITV Catchup on Prime Video was the only way to watch ITV without an Amazon Fire Stick or Google Chromecast.
ITV has more information on where you can watch ITVX here.
