BBC Studios launches Nordic+ streamer as BBC Brit & BBC Earth merged

Serengeti

BBC Studios (BBCS) is shuttering its BBC Brit and BBC Earth channels in the Nordics, replacing the duo with  a new on demand service and a single linear network.

New channel brand BBC Nordic and accompanying streamer BBC Nordic+ will become available to Norwegian, Swedish, Danish, Finnish and Icelandic viewers from 17 April.

BBC Brit and BBC Earth were launched in the region in 2015 but will now be replaced by BBC Nordic, which will offer factual and fact ent shows from the two channels such as QI, The Graham Norton Show and Life Below Zero.

New additions to the line-up will include The Great British Bake Off and the third season of natural history epic Serengeti, as well as shows from the Louis Theroux Interviews… franchise and The Great Pottery Throwdown.

BBC Nordic+ will allow viewers to stream shows from the linear channel on demand, with programming curated around topics such as arts and culture, travel, history, documentaries and music. Docuseries Fight the Power: How Hip Hop Changed The World is among shows set to be available from April.

Streaming expansion

The move is part of BBCS’s attempts to expand its global network and streaming operations, an area of the company’s operations that CEO Tom Fussell discussed with TBI last year.

BBCS has had a long history of selling its shows to broadcasters across the Nordics, while its joint venture streamer BritBox is also operational in the region.

The BBCS and ITV Studios-operated service was rolled out in Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland in May 2022, following a pact with regional operator C More. It houses thousands of hours of British content with a scripted skew, with shows ranging from Doctor Who and The Beast Must Die, to Irvine Welsh’s Crime and The Thief, His Wife, And The Canoe.

Arran Tindall, SVP of key markets at BBCS, said the overhaul was aimed attracting a broader audience.

“We have delved into Norwegian/Swedish/Danish/Finnish/Icelandic viewing habits and handpicked shows that we know our audiences love with exciting new additions in the entertainment and lifestyle space, broadening our content mix and the opportunity to appeal to a wider and diverse audience,” he said.

“The introduction of BBC Nordic+ will also mean that viewers have one BBC branded destination both on their television and on-demand.”