Blinkbox has signalled its intention to compete with Hulu and Arqiva’s proposed online video services with the signature of a new deal with BBC Worldwide.
The agreement secures BBC titles Hustle, Hotel Babylon, and classic Doctor Who to be viewed on an ad supported basis. Top Gear, Gavin and Stacey, Spooks (pictured) and Planet Earth will be available to purchase.
Launched in April 2008 by former Channel 4 executive Michael Comish, Blinkbox will now have a total of 5,000 hours of US and UK programming in its library. It has already secured partnerships with some of the major Hollywood studios including Warner Bros., Sony Pictures Television International, Twentieth Century Fox, Universal Studios and Paramount Pictures with an additional 15 leading independent producers.
“There’s been a lot of hype around foreign companies coming to the UK to fill the void left by Kangaroo,” commented Comish. “The reality is the void has already been filled by a home-grown service: Blinkbox. We are UK-based, UK-financed and UK-staffed. The addition of BBC Worldwide as a content partner helps us to fulfil blinkbox’s mission to bring British audiences the best movies and TV online.”
Blinkbox currently has an audience of nearly a million unique users a month.
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