Do you like British TV? Do you like ogling the ol' picture box? Well, BritBox may be for you.
BritBox Australia joined the ranks of our cacophony of streaming services in November last year, and as you may expect concentrates solely on British entertainment.
If you are interested in having all your dry humour in one place, then read on to find out everything you need to know about BritBox Australia.
In this guide:
- What is BritBox?
- How much does BritBox cost?
- What can I watch on BritBox?
- How to watch BritBox
- How much data does BritBox use?
- What kind of internet plan do I need for BritBox?
- What are the alternatives to BritBox?
- Other features
What is BritBox Australia?
BritBox is a streaming platform similar to Netflix, Stan, and Binge, but falls squarely into a British television niche. The BBC streaming service is a joint venture between BBC and ITV, bringing together a large collection of British comedy and drama on a singular platform.
Although the Australian iteration launched in November last year, BBC streaming saw success in the US and Canada with the subscription base growing to 1.5 million in October 2020.
Niche streaming services are gaining interest globally with the likes of Shudder - a horror-centric platform - extending to Australia in 2020.
BritBox Australia: Cost
Britbox in Australia costs $13.99 for a monthly subscription and $139.99 for the annual pass. Britbox prices are reasonable, sitting relatively on par with Binge and Stan which start at $10 and $12 per month, and Netflix which starts from $20.99 per month for the ad-free service.
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Britbox
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Britbox
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Unlike the aforementioned platforms, BritBox does not have a tiered pricing structure that limits the number of simultaneous streams or viewing resolution. BritBox Australia does not note how many simultaneous streams BBC streaming allows and does not allow you to alter your playback resolution preferences.
BritBox has a seven-day free trial available for new customers. Here's how its pricing compares to the other major services on the Australian market:
|
AMC+ Bundle
TV7-day free trial
From
$8.99/mth
or $83.88/yr
|
|
Disney+
From
$9.99/mth
or $179.99/yr
|
|
Amazon Prime Video
TV + movies + more30-day free trial
From
$9.99/mth
or $79/yr
|
|
Netflix
From
$9.99/mth
|
|
Binge
TV + movies + sport7-day free trial
From
$10.00/mth
or $79/yr
|
|
Crunchyroll
TV + movies7-day free trial
From
$11.99/mth
or $119.99/yr
|
|
Apple TV
TV + movies7-day free trial
From
$15.99/mth
or $129/yr
|
|
Kayo Sports
Sport7-day free trial
From
$29.99/mth
|
|
DAZN
From
$31.99/mth
or $149.99/yr
|
|
Foxtel Now
TV + movies + sport10-day free trial
From
$35/mth
|
|
Paramount+
TV + movies + sport7-day free trial
From
$7.99/mth
or $70.99/yr
Link not supplied
|
|
Stan.
TV + movies + sport
From
$9.99/mth
Link not supplied
|
|
HBO Max
TV + movies
From
$11.99/mth
or $119.99yr
Link not supplied
|
|
BritBox
TV7-day free trial
From
$13.99/mth
or $139.99/yr
Link not supplied
|
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MUBI
Movies7-day free trial
From
$14.99/mth
or $119.88/yr
Link not supplied
|
BritBox Australia: What's on?
BritBox Australia’s content is split into six main categories: drama, crime drama, comedy, documentaries, lifestyle, and Doctor Who. That’s right, the Doctor has its own category sporting 26 seasons.
Within these categories, you’ll find classics like Black Adder, Faulty Towers, a range of David Attenborough documentaries, such as Planet Earth and The Blue Planet, and other popular titles like Broadchurch and Line of Duty. And Doctor Who, obviously.
Although an exhaustive list of television and movies streaming on the platform is unavailable at this point in time, you’re likely to find almost anything that has been on the BBC or ITV.
BritBox Australia: How to watch
As with most streaming services, the BritBox Australia app is available on iPhone, iPad, and Android.
If you want to watch BritBox on a TV, you can get the app on Apple TV, Chromecast, Telstra TV, Amazon Fire Stick, and Fetch set-top boxes.
If you have a recent LG or Samsung smart TV, you should also be able to install the BritBox app directly on your TV. BritBox is also available on smart TVs powered by Android TV.
You can also watch BritBox on your computer, through your web browser. This works on Windows and Mac, and BritBox supports Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, and Internet Explorer.
BritBox Australia: Data usage
BritBox requires a 3Mbps connection for a standard definition stream and 6.5Mbps for a high definition stream. This means you can expect to use roughly 1.35GB per hour for standard definition, or just under 3GB per hour for high definition. Not all content on BritBox is available in HD, however.
Mobile data usage is quite a bit lower, and only uses 675MB per hour.
What kind of internet plan do I need for BritBox?
If you want the most from your BritBox account, you'll need an internet plan that can handle both the amount of data you'll go through and the connection speed you need.
The good news is BritBox isn't overly demanding in terms of speed requirements, and most NBN is now unlimited.
At maximum quality, you only need 6.5Mbps of bandwidth to stream BritBox. This means even an NBN 12 plan is enough to get a decent BritBox experience. However, unless you're on a budget, we'd recommend an NBN 50 plan for most. NBN 50 plans can download at up to speeds of 50Mbps, which means there's still plenty of bandwidth left for any other online activities going on in your household at the same time.
Data usage can add up quickly if you're streaming a lot, so as a rule of thumb, we'd recommend at least 500GB. Most NBN plans are now unlimited, however, so data isn't something most of us have to consider these days.
|
#1
|
Dodo
All Fixed Line nbn®
Editor's Pick
nbn50 Unlimited Plan
$57.99/mth
Min. cost $57.99
|
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#2
|
amaysim
All Fixed Line nbn®
NBN50
$75/mth
Min. cost $75
|
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#3
|
Belong
All Fixed Line nbn®
NBN Standard Plus – Unlimited
$55/mth
Min. cost $55
|
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#4
|
Tangerine Telecom
All Fixed Line nbn®
Value Plus NBN 50/20
$64.90/mth
Min. cost $64.90
|
|
#5
|
Superloop
All Fixed Line nbn®
Extra-value nbn50/20
$69/mth
Min. cost $69
|
|
#6
|
TPG
All Fixed Line nbn®
nbn50 Unlimited Plan
$69.99/mth
Min. cost $69.99
Link not supplied
|
|
#7
|
iiNet
All Fixed Line nbn®
nbn50 Liimitless
$69.99/mth
+ $10 Upfront
Min. cost $79.99
Link not supplied
|
|
#8
|
Kogan Internet
All Fixed Line nbn®
Silver Unlimited
$69.90/mth
Min. cost $69.90
|
|
#9
|
Flip
All Fixed Line nbn®
Unlimited Family nbn50
$68/mth
Min. cost $68
|
|
#10
|
Vodafone
All Fixed Line nbn®
Essential+ nbn®
$94/mth
Min. cost $94
Link not supplied
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What are the alternatives to BritBox?
BritBox naturally isn't the only streaming service around; if it's not your thing, there are plenty of other options to pick from. There's obviously Netflix, but Australians can also sign on for homegrown services Stan and Binge, as well as free streaming options from ABC (iView), Ten (Tenplay), 7 (7Plus), 9 (9Now) and SBS (On Demand). Plus, there's also Amazon's Prime Video.
Here's a look at how the major streaming options in Australia compare:
|
AMC+ Bundle
TV7-day free trial
From
$8.99/mth
or $83.88/yr
|
|
Disney+
From
$9.99/mth
or $179.99/yr
|
|
Amazon Prime Video
TV + movies + more30-day free trial
From
$9.99/mth
or $79/yr
|
|
Netflix
From
$9.99/mth
|
|
Binge
TV + movies + sport7-day free trial
From
$10.00/mth
or $79/yr
|
|
Crunchyroll
TV + movies7-day free trial
From
$11.99/mth
or $119.99/yr
|
|
Apple TV
TV + movies7-day free trial
From
$15.99/mth
or $129/yr
|
|
Kayo Sports
Sport7-day free trial
From
$29.99/mth
|
|
DAZN
From
$31.99/mth
or $149.99/yr
|
|
Foxtel Now
TV + movies + sport10-day free trial
From
$35/mth
|
|
Paramount+
TV + movies + sport7-day free trial
From
$7.99/mth
or $70.99/yr
Link not supplied
|
|
Stan.
TV + movies + sport
From
$9.99/mth
Link not supplied
|
|
HBO Max
TV + movies
From
$11.99/mth
or $119.99yr
Link not supplied
|
|
BritBox
TV7-day free trial
From
$13.99/mth
or $139.99/yr
Link not supplied
|
|
MUBI
Movies7-day free trial
From
$14.99/mth
or $119.88/yr
Link not supplied
|
Stan offers a wide range of content, including originally-made TV shows and exclusive programming from the Showtime network.
Binge is Foxtel's newest take on a streaming service and starts at $10 per month. You'll find plenty of big-name content you'd normally need to subscribe to Foxtel for, such as Game of Thrones, Westworld, and The Walking Dead.
Amazon Prime Video is one of the cheapest streaming services in Australia, priced at $6.99 per month. The library is not as extensive as other services, but it does offer exclusive content such as American Gods and The Grand Tour.
If you want to watch anything Disney, Star Wars, Pixar, or Marvel, you'll need to check out Disney+, which is now billed at $11.99 per month but also includes Fox content such as the Alien franchise and Bob's Burgers. Disney+ only has one pricing tier, however, which gets you 4K quality and the ability to watch on up to four devices at once.
For a bigger look at the major streaming services available in Australia, head to our comparison guide.
If you're after something more traditional, there's always Foxtel - you can even bundle it with an NBN plan.
Alternatively, there's Fetch TV. Many internet providers offer a Fetch Mighty or Mini set-top box with their plans, which gets you access to freeview context, pay-to-play movies, specialty channel packs, and be able to use the inbuilt apps for your preferred streaming services.
Where streaming services generally only give the option to watch on-demand, Fetch TV has a range of channels that you can flick through - just like the good old days. It also operates solely through your internet connection so you won't need to worry about plugging into the antenna.
While it is available as a stand-alone service, many NBN providers bundle Fetch in with selected plans. Optus, iiNet, Dodo, iPrimus, and Internode all offer the service in addition to NBN plans. Some will cost you extra while others are already bundled into the cost.
|
#1
|
Dodo
FTTP, HFC
Editor's Pick
nbn500 Unlimited Plan
$62.99/mth
Min. cost $62.99
|
|
#2
|
Dodo
All Fixed Line nbn®
Editor's Pick
nbn50 Unlimited Plan
$57.99/mth
Min. cost $57.99
|
|
#3
|
Dodo
All Fixed Line nbn®
nbn25 Unlimited Plan
$43.99/mth
Min. cost $43.99
|
|
#4
|
Dodo
FTTN, FTTB, FTTC
Editor's Pick
nbn100 Unlimited Plan
$62.99/mth
Min. cost $62.99
|
|
#5
|
Dodo
FTTP, HFC
nbn Home Superfast Plan
$69.99/mth
Min. cost $69.99
|
|
#6
|
iiNet
FTTN, FTTB, FTTC
nbn Home Fast Liimitless
$69.99/mth
+ $10 Upfront
Min. cost $79.99
Link not supplied
|
|
#7
|
Dodo
FTTP, HFC
nbn Home Ultrafast Plan
$79.99/mth
Min. cost $79.99
|
|
#8
|
Optus
All Fixed Line nbn®
Optus Everyday nbn®
$82/mth
Min. cost $82
Link not supplied
|
|
#9
|
iPrimus
FTTP, HFC
Home Ultrafast Plan
$122/mth
Min. cost $122
Link not supplied
|
BritBox Australia: Other features
As far as streaming services go, BritBox is pretty run of the mill although there are a couple of features missing that would improve the user experience.
You’ll be able to create a watchlist to archive future viewing easily, and have access to a “continue watching” menu in order to pick up where you left off easily. However, our testing has yet to uncover algorithmic viewing suggestions like you may find on Netflix.
A fun feature however is the BritBox Gift Subscription which lets you buy a subscription for someone else and send it to them as a present. You won’t pay the fee until the receiver has activated the subscription, so if they’re not a fan you get all the brownie points without the cost.
BritBox FAQs
How long is content available on BritBox?
BritBox labels content that is about to be removed as 'last chance'. This means these programs are in their last week of availability.
Does BritBox offer parental controls?
Yes. Simply log in to your account at BritBox.com and access your account details. Click “Parental Controls” and follow the security prompts to create a four-digit PIN. Use the slider below your PIN to set the appropriate level of viewing restriction then click “Save”. It's important to note that anyone watching a restricted program will be asked to enter the PIN before they can watch.
Can I stream BritBox in 4K?
BritBox does support 4K streaming, however, it is only available on Samsung Smart TVs and the Telstra TV 4700. You can alternatively stream BritBox in 4K on selected streaming devices when used with 4K compatible TVs.
Anula Wiwatowska
Offsite Editorial Lead | Instagram
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