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A short history of streaming in the UK

Britain's streaming story began with broadcasters' catch-up players rather than Netflix: here are the key dates, from 4oD and iPlayer to Disney+ and ITVX.

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Streaming in Britain did not begin with Netflix. The first services were built by broadcasters so that viewers could catch up on programmes they had missed; the subscription giants came later, and the broadcasters have spent the years since working out how to answer them. Here are the key dates.

The broadcasters go first (2006–2009)

Channel 4 got in early. On 16 November 2006 it announced 4oD ("4 on Demand"), billing it as the first time a UK broadcaster had made all its home-grown programming available on demand. The PC service opened on 6 December 2006, with up to 30 days to catch up after a programme's first showing. 4oD became All 4 in March 2015 and was renamed Channel 4 in April 2023.

BBC iPlayer opened as a public beta on 27 July 2007, at first as a download service for Windows XP computers. In December the BBC relaunched it with streaming that also worked on Macs and Linux machines, promoting it from Christmas Day, and it formally left beta on 25 December 2007. It originally offered the last seven days of BBC television; from October 2014 that window grew to 30 days. ITV's version, the ITV Player, followed in 2008.

The three broadcasters also planned a joint service, Project Kangaroo, to offer programmes once their catch-up period had run out. The Competition Commission blocked it early in 2009. BritBox, which arrived a decade later, has been likened to it.

From discs to streams (2010–2017)

LoveFilm began in 2002 as a DVD-by-post business and started streaming some of its catalogue in 2010. Amazon, already its largest shareholder, took full control in January 2011. In February 2014 Amazon folded LoveFilm's streaming service into its Prime membership under the name Prime Instant Video – the forerunner of today's Prime Video. The discs kept coming through letterboxes until LoveFilm By Post closed on 31 October 2017.

Netflix and NOW arrive (2012)

Netflix launched in the UK and Ireland on 9 January 2012, its first step into Europe, with LoveFilm as its closest rival. Sky replied with Now TV, aimed at people without a pay-TV subscription, which launched on 17 July 2012. It offered only films at first, added sport in March 2013 and entertainment channels that October, and was renamed NOW in 2021.

Originals and an online-only channel (2013–2016)

Netflix's first big commission, House of Cards, arrived in February 2013. In February 2016 the BBC took BBC Three off air and turned it into an online-only service inside iPlayer. That November, Netflix released The Crown (4 November) and Amazon launched The Grand Tour (18 November), the motoring show made by the former Top Gear team.

The new wave (2019–2022)

  • Apple TV+ launched in 100 countries on 1 November 2019, led by The Morning Show. In October 2025 Apple announced that it was dropping the plus sign, and the service is now simply Apple TV.
  • BritBox launched in the UK on 7 November 2019 with programmes from the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5 – the first time all of the UK's traditional channels had brought their shows together in one streaming service.
  • Disney+ reached the UK on 24 March 2020, replacing DisneyLife, a service Disney had launched in 2015 to test the market. It arrived in the first weeks of the Covid-19 pandemic, just as schools were closing.
  • Paramount+ launched in the UK and Ireland in June 2022, as a standalone app, through Prime Video, and as part of Sky Cinema subscriptions.
  • ITVX replaced the ITV Hub, rolling out from 17 November 2022 before its official launch on 8 December 2022. Its launch line-up included A Spy Among Friends and Riches.

Coming together again

The crowd has since begun to thin. In 2022 ITV bought out the BBC's share of BritBox UK and folded it into ITVX's paid tier; the standalone service closed on 30 April 2024, with all of its content moving to ITVX. BBC Three, meanwhile, returned as a broadcast channel on 1 February 2022 while staying on iPlayer.

Key dates at a glance

  • 2006: Channel 4 announces 4oD (16 November)
  • 2007: BBC iPlayer opens in beta (27 July) and leaves beta (25 December)
  • 2011: Amazon takes full control of LoveFilm (January)
  • 2012: Netflix launches (9 January); Now TV launches (17 July)
  • 2014: LoveFilm's streaming becomes Prime Instant Video (February)
  • 2019: Apple TV+ (1 November); BritBox (7 November)
  • 2020: Disney+ (24 March)
  • 2022: Paramount+ (June); ITVX (8 December)
  • 2024: BritBox UK closes as a standalone service (30 April)

For the shows each service has launched, see our timeline.

Sources

  1. Channel 4 press release: Channel 4 launches 4oD video-on-demand service (16 Nov 2006, archived)
  2. The Guardian: BBC relaunches its iPlayer service (13 Dec 2007)
  3. BBC News: Lovefilm By Post DVD rental service to close (14 Aug 2017)
  4. The Guardian: Amazon takes full control of Lovefilm (20 Jan 2011)
  5. The Guardian: Amazon takes on Netflix with rebrand of LoveFilm video-on-demand service (21 Feb 2014)
  6. The Guardian: Netflix launches in the UK with an eye to taking on BSkyB (9 Jan 2012)
  7. The Guardian: Sky takes on Netflix with Now TV internet service (16 Jul 2012)
  8. The Guardian: Apple hopes its new streaming service will make a splash (1 Nov 2019)
  9. BBC News: BritBox – UK broadcasters enter the streaming wars as new service launches (7 Nov 2019)
  10. The Guardian: From Mickey Mouse to the Simpsons – the best shows to watch on Disney+ (24 Mar 2020)
  11. The Guardian: Halo review (22 Jun 2022)
  12. The Guardian: ITV to take on Netflix, Amazon and Disney+ with new streaming service (3 Mar 2022)
  13. The Guardian: ITVX enjoys strong first month thanks to A Spy Among Friends and World Cup (13 Jan 2023)
  14. BBC Media Centre: T-minus three weeks until BBC Three is on TV (Jan 2022)
  15. Wikipedia: Channel 4 (VoD service)
  16. Wikipedia: BBC iPlayer
  17. Wikipedia: ITVX
  18. Wikipedia: BritBox
  19. Wikipedia: LoveFilm
  20. Wikipedia: Netflix
  21. Wikipedia: Now (streaming service)
  22. Wikipedia: House of Cards (American TV series)
  23. Wikipedia: BBC Three
  24. Wikipedia: The Crown (TV series)
  25. Wikipedia: The Grand Tour
  26. Wikipedia: Apple TV (streaming service)
  27. Wikipedia: Disney+
  28. Wikipedia: Paramount+

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