ITV has acquired the BBC's 10% stake in the UK operation of BritBox, the broadcaster has confirmed.
The move comes months ahead of the launch of ITVX, ITV's major new on-demand service which will feature over 15,000 hours of content and premieres of ITV programming six to nine months ahead of linear transmission.
The service will be available to users for free, with ads showing among the content, or subscribers can pay to access an ad-free version which will also include access to BritBox as a separate area within the ITVX app.
BritBox offers an extensive library of content from the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5 - and content from the other broadcasters will continue on the service despite the change in ownership. BritBox International, which operates in the US and other territories, will continue as a 50-50 joint venture between the BBC and ITV.
Confirming the news, a spokesperson told Variety: "To give ITV greater control over BritBox UK and enable its integration into ITVX, the BBC has ceased to be a shareholder in BritBox UK.
"They will continue to be a strong partner for BritBox UK and BritBox International, and we have agreed a new long-term content supply deal with the BBC.
"All PSB partners are committed to BritBox UK which offers consumers a large library of the majority of PSB British content in one place from the past and recent past."
According to the latest figures from ITV, more than 733,000 people are currently signed up to BritBox UK.
Neil Wilkes
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