16 DEC 2020

BBC TO LAUNCH AD-FREE SUBSCRIPTION CHANNEL IN US AND CANADA

BBC Select, offering a wide range of cultural and political titles, will be accessible on Amazon Prime Video Channels and the Apple TV app. Its price and a full slate of titles and launches will be announced at its launch.

16 DEC 2020

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BBC Studios unveiled the launch of its new, ad-free subscription streaming channel, BBC Select, in early 2021 on Amazon Prime Video Channels and the Apple TV app. The service will announce additional details such as content line up, the full slate of launch platforms, special features, and the price upon launching. As we shift our business focus to engaging our fans direct, the digital space offers us the opportunity to bring audiences a portfolio of shows that bring new ideas and perspectives into the conversation," said Rebecca Glashow, President, BBC Studios Americas. "Our research has shown that audiences are looking for an alternative to what is already out there. BBC Select is it.”  

 BBC Select will offer a variety of UK titles covering culture, politics, and ideas. The programs will inspire fresh, unbiased perspectives from diverse voices for audiences in the U.S. and Canada. “BBC Select is for those who crave knowledge, new perspectives, and programs that are not your standard fare,” said Louise la Grange, General Manager & Launch Director. “BBC Select will combine a rich line up of never-before-seen shows in the U.S. and Canada with a prized portfolio of thought-provoking, eye-opening programs that provide context and color to the world we all share, all in one place.”

Some of the British content and creatives the serivce will offer include "Grayson Perry: Big American Road Trip," author and documentarian of social issues Stacey Dooley and her series "Brainwashing Stacey," historian Professor Sir Simon Schama with his new series "The Romantic Revolution;" and filmmaker Louis Theroux and a large collection of his work, including "Selling Sex," "Surviving America’s Most Hated Family," and Talking to Anorexia. Some of the titles BBC Select will feature are “Shock of the Nude,”   “Reggie Yates in China,” “  In Search of Frida Kahlo,” “ Fall of an Icon,” Mystery of the Missing,” “Putin – A Russian Spy Story,” and “The Last Igloo.”

“Shock of the Nude,” hosted by Professor of Classics Mary Beard, explores the nude approach to western art, from ancient Greece to the present. “Reggie Yates in China” sees actor, DJ, and presenter Reggie Yates travel to four very different cities in China to discover the new fault-lines in society and how they affect following generations. “In Search of Frida Kahlo” follows musician Emeli Sandé - who was inspired by the paintings of Kahlo when writing her album - as she visits Mexico City to tell the story of one of Mexico’s most famous artists. “Fall of an Icon” explores the life of Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi, who after 15 years of house arrest was celebrated as an icon of democracy. “Mystery of the Missing” Princess tells the story of Princess Latifa, the daughter of Dubai’s ruler, who attempted to escape from torture and imprisonment at the hands of her father.

“Putin – A Russian Spy Story” is the portrait of a politician who modeled himself on the Russian James Bond and whose presidency reads like a spy thriller. “The Last Igloo” follows a lone Inuit as he hunts, fishes, and constructs an igloo.  "All Watched Over By Machines Of Loving Grace" argues that computers have failed to liberate humanity, and instead have simplified the world around us.

As we shift our business focus to engaging our fans direct, the digital space offers us the opportunity to bring audiences a portfolio of shows that bring new ideas and perspectives into the conversation. Our research has shown that audiences are looking for an alternative to what is already out there. BBC Select is it.” Rebecca Glashow President, BBC Studios Americas