British TV Thrives in US Following Strikes; Which Streamers Are Best for Watching British Shows?

The United Kingdom may be an ocean away from the United States, but video content moves back and forth between the two with ease. An exclusive report from Deadline shows that audiences in the U.S. have registered a new level of interest in British television after strikes by the WGA and SAG-AFTRA in 2023 put a halt to new productions stateside for months. I’ll get into how much viewership for British content rose during the strikes, and which streamers offer the best British TV at the best value below.

Key Details:

• British series accounted for three of the top five most-watched programs between January and May 2024.
• Streamers like Netflix and Prime Video have boosted their commissioning of shows outside the United States.
• BritBox and Acorn TV are the two best streaming services for Anglophiles to get their fix.

Deadline commissioned a survey from Digital-i in order to measure how much more frequently American audiences were turning elsewhere to find new TV shows since production houses like Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery were shut down by the strikes.

The study found that viewership for TV shows commissioned out of the U.K. or where “significant production” was done there rose 40% on Netflix and Prime Video between the second quarter of 2023 and the first quarter of 2024. That far outstripped the cross-content rise in viewership of 9% on these streaming services.

The data found that three of the five most-watched series between January and May of 2024 were sourced from the U.K.: “Baby Reindeer,” “Fool Me Once,” and “Bridgerton.” All three of the series are found on Netflix, but Prime Video’s “Clarkson's Farm” and “The Grand Tour” also performed well.

“Content strategy for major SVoD players is becoming increasingly global, and the UK has and will continue to be an important source of content that can perform well across multiple territories,” Digital-i Chief Analytics Officer Matt Ross said of the data.

Indeed, Netflix and Prime Video’s commissions are increasingly sourced in other countries. Data released by Ampere Analysis last month found that overseas commissions from these companies are outstripping domestic ones for the first time, showing that even though the strikes are over, streaming services will continue to look internationally for new content.

Which Streamers Offer the Most British Content?

Acorn TV

Acorn TV is one of the best repositories for British shows out there. Its content runs the spectrum from cozy mystery series like “The Madame Blanc Mysteries” and “Midsomer Murders” to high-quality originals, like the new “Monsieur Spade” starring Clive Owen. Classic comedies like “Doc Martin” and hundreds of other titles also call Acorn TV home.

The streamer offers a seven-day free trial to all new customers, after which it offers a single plan for $6.99 per month. Streaming on Acorn TV is ad-free, and you can watch the service on up to four devices simultaneously.

BritBox

BritBox is another British-first streaming platform, and if police procedurals are your bread and butter you should look very hard into a subscription. Titles like “Luther,” “The Responder,” “Blue Lights” and many others call BritBox home, but the streamer has a wide range of other content, such as original comedies like “Avoidance” and classics like “The IT Crowd” and “Keeping Up Appearances.”

BritBox comes with its own seven-day free trial, after which prices start at $8.99 per month. This streamer also comes without ads and allows customers to download titles for offline viewing as well. Customers can watch BritBox on up to five devices simultaneously.