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Maybe it’s because of their clever comebacks, their whipsmart dialogues, or their cool demeanor, but there’s something about British media that steals your heart. Many of Hollywood’s best actors hail from that side of the Atlantic, and so do some of the best films and TV shows of our time. Period dramas, in particular, are quite something else when helmed by the English.
This is why below, we’ve rounded up the best British streaming services available in the U.S. If you ever have a hankering for all things UK, look no further than the list below.
We have covered streaming in America at A Good Movie to Watch since 2012, longer than most of the services on this page have existed. We run each one ourselves, track what the price actually becomes once the promo ends, and recheck every month.
We have grouped every deal by what you actually get with it, so you can jump straight to the kind you want. Use the menu to skip around.
Streaming services dedicated to BBC and ITV shows, including beloved dramas and comedies.
While programming depends on your geographical location, Acorn TV in the US focuses on TV shows from dozens of international networks in countries of the Commonwealth, from British channels like the BBC and ITV as well as Oceanic shows from Australia and New Zealand.
Aside from British shows, there’s also a solid selection of content from other major European networks from France, Italy and Ireland.
Britbox is a streaming service born out of an alliance between two British broadcasters: BBC and iTV. If you like British humour, British detective shows, or anything British TV, it’s the place for you. You won’t be the only one, by October 2020, the platform had 1.5 million subscribers, a number that’s growing.
Curated documentaries and cultural content from the BBC archives.
BBC Select is a streaming service dedicated specifically to all things culture, politics, and ideas. It houses the best of the BBC’s non-fiction content—namely, widely-acclaimed documentaries and docuseries—but it also occasionally sources titles from other channels, like the UK’s Channel 4. While it can seem like BBC Select is competing with Acorn TV and BritBox, which are the go-to UK channels in North America, it’s actually closer to the likes of CuriosityStream and Discovery Plus in its specialization of documentaries. The only downside is there are currently only three ways to watch BBC Select: through Apple TV, Amazon Prime Channels, or The Roku Channel.
Carefully curated film collections from prestigious festivals and the British Film Institute.
| Option | Price | Best for | |
|---|---|---|---|
 BFI Player Classics |
$5.99 | — | Try |
 Flix Premiere |
$6.99 | — | Try |
BFI Player Classics is a subscription service that makes the best of British cinema available to users around the world. These films are, according to the site, “widely loved and rarely seen,” handpicked by the British Film Institute itself. They are carefully curated into collections that you can pick and choose based on your mood or interest. The streamer may not have the most extensive titles, only carrying a little more than 300 at a time, but it’s sure to have some of the highest quality libraries out there, perfect for cinephiles and Anglophiles alike. As of this writing, BFI Player Classics also offers a 14-day free trial, after which you’re charged $5.99/month.
Flix Premiere is a subscription-based service that streams underrated and hard-to-find independent films. Founded in 2015 by Martin Warner, Flix Premiere is a treasure trove of fresh but forgotten gems—movies deemed too small or unprofitable are finally given a fighting chance here. The company states that it sources much of its content from prestigious festivals like Berlinale, Cannes, TIFF, and more.
The streamer, currently available in the US and the UK only, is for hardcore cinephiles and anyone who prefers films over TV shows. The subscription is at $6.99/month, and the service offers a 30-day free trial.
Specialized platform for lesser-known classics from Eastern Europe and Central Asia.
Klassiki is a streaming service dedicated to classic and modern films from Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, and Central Asia. The platform’s team carefully curate the titles that go into their library, and every week, they handpick a special film for you to enjoy. Since Klassiki is still new, their library is not too stacked (they have about 50 titles as of this writing), but the leanness is perfect for those who value quality over quantity. A monthly subscription costs $10.99 (£9.99 if you’re in the UK), and along with on-demand content, you get exclusive program notes, reviews, and interviews from different critics and filmmakers via their journal section.
A Good Movie to Watch has been covering streaming since 2012. We test every major service available in America ourselves and write down what actually changes once the promo period ends and the real price kicks in. Affiliate links may earn us a small commission. They do not change the rankings. Browse all our cord-cutting work.
Founder of A Good Movie to Watch. I have been covering streaming services for over a decade, longer than some of the services on this list have even been around.
