BBC Studios has debuted a new streaming service in the United States and Canada.
BBC Select will initially be available on Amazon Prime Video Channels and the Apple TV app.
In contrast to the entertainment-led BritBox, run with partner ITV, BBC Select will stream documentary series and specials.
Among them The drop, a weekly collection of shows around a given them, and taking in topics that include love and sex, war and rebellion, parenthood and power, and race and consumerism.
Newly announced programmes include The Rise of the Murdoch Dynasty exploring Rupert Murdoch’s global empire and his would be successors; 54 Days: America and the Pandemic is the inside story of the 54 days between January 21, when the first case of COVID-19 was identified on US soil, to mid-March when President Trump declared a national emergency; and TV’s Black Renaissance: Reggie Yates in Hollywood that looks at shows including Atlanta, Dear White People and Insecure majority which feature largely African-American casts, and are pioneering a new frankness about race and identity.
“BBC Select is a powerhouse of ideas, firing off in all directions,” said Jon Farrar, Editor in Chief. “As Select content reveals our world – in these complex times – through the lenses of culture, politics, and ideas, I hope we come to understand the forces that shape what it means to be alive in 2021. We hope our shows equally keep our viewers inspired and optimistic.”
The monthly subscription is $4.99 in the U.S. and $6.99 in Canada.
