There’s no better example of the power of BBC Studios-owned streamer BritBox than its British crime drama “Lynley,” which marks the rare case of a British TV series made by a U.S.-focused platform that then became a hit with traditional British audiences.
“This is a show that we believed in and bought into in the very early phase,” BBC Studios direct-to-consumer CEO Robert Schildhouse told Senior Business Writer, TV and Video Games, Jennifer Maas on Friday’s episode of Variety‘s “Strictly Business” podcast. “And it’s very rare for us to think about picking up a show and commissioning a show when there isn’t a UK broadcaster associated with it. And it was successful for us.”
Robert Schildhouse/BritBox
Phillip Angert
Starring Leo Suter as the titular Detective Inspector (DI) Tommy Lynley and Sofia Barclay as Detective Sergeant (DS) Barbara Havers, “Lynley” debuted on BritBox in the U.S. last September and put up such impressive viewership numbers that not only has it now been renewed for a Season 2 at BritBox, but it began airing its first season on BBC One in the U.K. in January.
For Schildhouse, who was recently promoted to his role overseeing not only BritBox, but also BBC Select and any future BBC Studios streaming endeavors out of North America, this is a mark of how well his team has been doing their job at telling British stories.
“We really do see ourselves, in a way, as ambassadors of British culture,” Schildhouse said. “We really do believe that we are the primary route to market for British television into the U.S. and North American marketplace. We say what we are on the tin, as the Brits would say. We are BritBox. There’s really no other streaming service that says exactly who they are. So we do owe a responsibility to that content, to be that ambassador and to be that bridge between British television and the audiences that love it today, but also will love it in the future. And it’s a role that we take very seriously.”
“Strictly Business” is Variety’s weekly podcast featuring conversations with industry leaders about the business of media and entertainment. (Please click here to subscribe to our free newsletter.) New episodes debut every Wednesday and can be downloaded at Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Spotify, Google Play, SoundCloud and more.
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