UK-based subscription service ITV Hub is getting a major rebrand later this year. The streaming app is set to become ITVX, and will completely replace ITV Hub and its subscription tiers at launch. However, no monthly subscription costs have yet been revealed for the ITVX rebrand, meaning that a price increase is certainly a possibility.
As reported by What Hi-Fi?, ITVX won't be dissimilar to some of the best streaming apps available today, like Netflix, Prime Video and Disney Plus. ITVX will offer new series and movies on a weekly basis, and even sporting events will be watchable live on the service.
Last year, ITV Hub was added to Sky Q, introducing the app to owners of Sky's streaming box. The app is also available to download and watch on many of the best 4K smart TVs, so with the app more widely available now than it's ever been, it's easy to see why ITV would want to expand and upgrade its streaming service.
ITVX will feature a free, ad-supported tier as well as a premium 'ITVX Plus' tier with exclusive content that presumably can't be viewed on the free version. Not only that, the ITVX Plus tier will also get full access to Britbox, which packs thousands of British-made TV shows and movies into one streaming app.
Britbox was warmly received when it launched, not least of all because it provided an accessible way for US audiences to easily watch some of the UK's most loved dramas and comedies, such as Gavin & Stacey, Doctor Who, Agatha Christie's Poirot and much more.
The inclusion of Britbox with ITVX should be a fantastic addition, then, but the service's graduation from ITV Hub isn't without some understandable concerns.
Analysis: Will ITVX come with a price hike?
ITVX is sounding like it'll be a promising upgrade for ITV Hub, then, but we're a little uneasy about certain details for the new streaming service, particularly when it comes to price.
Right now, ITV Hub costs £3.99 a month for its premium tier. That's quite agreeable, but ITVX is bringing what should be heaps more content than what's currently available on ITV Hub. Not least of the additions is the integration of Britbox, which by itself costs £5.99 a month.
As such, it's perfectly reasonable to expect ITVX to increase in price over ITV Hub. After all, why even subscribe to Britbox at all if ITVX is offering that as well as its own content at a cheaper monthly cost? We could be wrong here, of course, but we expect ITVX will jump its price to at least £5.99 a month, and that's a very generous estimate.
We also don't know if existing ITV Hub subscribers will automatically be carried over to ITVX, nor if they'll receive any kind of first-month discount or free trial in the case of a price hike. After all, having to suddenly pay extra for one of your favourite subscription services is never a good feeling.
On the plus side, the inclusion of Britbox could signal that ITVX will be made available outside of the UK. If you're in the US, for example, you can only access ITV Hub through a VPN connection. But if ITVX is bundling itself with Britbox, which is readily available worldwide, it's entirely possible that ITV is looking to spread its wings and finally travel across the pond.
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