Fears of streaming services (41)

BBC, ITV and Channel 4 in talks to create UK streaming service

The BBC, Channel 4 and ITV have held discussions about joining forces to create a British streaming service to combat the increasing power of Netflix andAmazon in the UK.

The early-stage talks, which are also understood to involve NBC Universal, the US TV and film group that owns the maker of Downton Abbey, are focusing on how the UK’s main broadcasters and makers of top shows can work together to create a streaming rival.

• Netflix has 8.2m subscribers in the UK and 4.3m British households are signed up to Amazon Prime Video
• The BBC, which has traditionally dominated the UK TV and radio landscape, recently said it risked being overtaken by competitors as viewers move inexorably towards on-demand viewing. The corporation owns the UK’s biggest and most recognisable video service, iPlayer, but has conceded that 16 to 24-year-olds spend more time with Netflix in a week than with all of BBC TV, including iPlayer.