How ITV X will compete with streaming giants including Amazon, Netflix and Disney+
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ITV has unveiled a turbo-charged streaming service, ITVX, which will see it compete in a global market which is now packed with providers.
Through ITV Hub, they have already been competing with the streaming services of other channels - particularly the BBC’s iPlayer and Channel 4’s All4.
But when it evolves into ITVX later this year it will provide the option of a “premium” version which sees unique content provided in return for a monthly fee.
The move comes as viewers are now bombarded with a huge array of subscriptions with an equally large bill for signing up to them.
Even signing up to the most basic packages would cost almost £70 a month - or more than £800 a year.
We look at the eight biggest hitters in the market, how much they cost and what big-name shows ITV will be vying with...
Amazon Prime Video
Monthly subscription: £7.99
Biggest hits: Clarkson’s Farm, The Boys, The Grand Tour, The Marvellous Mrs Maisel.
ANOTHER giant from across the pond which juggles thrillers and docs with an increasingly large batch of original shows made by their own studios. It also has a huge back catalogue of bought-in shows and movies. They’ll soon make the most expensive TV series ever with a Lord of the Rings prequel series.
Netflix
Monthly subscription: £5.99 to £13.99
Biggest hits: The Crown, House of Cards, Bridgerton, Sex Education, Tiger King.
The all-round big hitter from the US is as lauded for its homemade cutting edge, big-budget dramas as it is for its in-depth documentaries on everything from history to comedy and true crime. They’ve increasingly moved into popular dating shows too, including Too Hot to Handle, Love is Blind and Sexy Beasts.
Sky
Monthly subscription: £26 to £46
Biggest hits: And Just Like That, Chernobyl, Big Little Lies, A League of Their Own, Save Me.
THIS British institution offers everything from sport to comedy - depending on what subscription package you opt for and which of its multiple channels you favour. It’s famed for cherry picking the best talent from both sides of the Atlantic. They’ll be airing the new Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon this year.
Apple TV+
Monthly subscription: £4.99 to £14.95
Biggest hits: Ted Lasso, The Morning Show, Finch
It may be one of the newest kids on the block but the Apple Corporation’s foray into the streaming market is already making waves. They’ve delivered a clutch of hits with their originals, and not just American-inspired dramas, also the likes of Ted Lasso which is uniquely British.
Now
Monthly subscription: From £4.99
Biggest hits: Game of Thrones, Below Deck, The Gilded Cage
This shrewd service allows users to cherry pick the best genres of shows from the output of Sky and hayu, an American channel which specialises solely in reality TV. Viewers can select a variety of different packages allowing them to have either cinema, sport and general entertainment.
Disney+
Monthly subscription: £7.99 (or £79.90 a year)
Biggest hits: Pam & Tommy, The Mandalorian, Encanto, The Beatles: Get Back, Hawkeye
Given the corporation is best known for Snow White and the seven Dwarves and Pinnochio, the new subscription service has surprised viewers by making steamy dramas and gritty docs. Though it did conjure up its old magic with the cultural cartoon phenomenon that was children's movie, Encanto.
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Discovery+
Monthly subscription: £4.99 to £6.99
Biggest hits: Richard Hammond’s Workshop, Super Soul, Mary McCartney Serves it Up
Another American giant which offers a blend of entertainment and sport. Their speciality is documentaries, particularly crime, the supernatural, adventures and general lifestyle. They’ve even signed up big stars to make shows, including Oprah Winfrey, Richard Hammond, and Paul McCartney’s daughter Mary who has her own vegetarian cookery show.
Starzplay
Monthly subscription: £4.99
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Biggest hits: Outlander, Powerbook, BMF
Only available outside the US via other streaming services, this American provider offers movies, bought in series as well as original series such as Shining Vale with Courtney Cox, fantasy epic Outlander starring Sam Heughan and crime drama BMF about the Black Mafia Family, a crime drama produced by rapper 50 Cent.