Doc Martin, starrting Martin Clunes, is one of the popular shows on BritBox

Less than three years after its launch, BritBox – the streaming joint venture between BBC Studios and ITV – is shutting down in South Africa.

A spokeswoman for the company told TechCentral: “It is with a heavy heart that we confirm the news that BritBox will be closing in South Africa on 30 August 2024. Subscribers will have the chance to catch up on all their much-loved programming until August.”

Thinus Ferreira’s TV with Thinus blog first reported the news of BritBox’s impending closure earlier on Monday.

BritBox South Africa was launched in August 2021, becoming the fifth market worldwide to get the streaming platform, which offers a range of British television series, documentaries and other programming.

The BritBox spokeswoman said the service is refocusing on its “more established markets and the areas of the business that will have the highest opportunities for growth”.

“A large proportion of the content on BritBox has been exclusive to the service in South Africa. However, we expect some of this great British programming will find a new home on other platforms and channels in the territory in the futurem,” she said.

“There is also a suite of BBC-branded channels on DStv: BBC Earth, BBC Brit, BBC Lifestyle, BBC UKTV, CBeebies and BBC World News.”

Popular shows

It’s not known how many subscribers BritBox has in South Africa, but given the decision to shut it down, it’s fair to assume it failed to reach critical mass in the local market. The service costs R100/month.

A year ago – in June 2023 – MultiChoice Group, which already broadcasts a number of BBC channels on its satellite and streaming platforms, added BritBox to the bouquets of content available on its DStv Explora Ultra and DStv Streama boxes.