One of the more frequent questions that I read each day in that group has to do with this question: "Which streaming service should I get that will satisfy my 'Midsomer' craving, but which will also meet my other Brit-based viewing needs? Britbox or Acorn TV??"
I've answered that question several times on Facebook over the past month, but decided that it might be worth exploring the options in this blog format.
It's worth noting that I have been a Britbox subscriber for nearly two years. And I've been an Acorn TV subscriber for roughly four months. Both have all 20 seasons of "Midsomer Murders." Both are good services. Both meet different viewing needs for me.
What do I like about Britbox?
Mysteries: Britbox offers a wide variety of mysteries -- particularly classics that were originally broadcast 10, 20, 30+ years ago. Stuff like "A Touch of Frost,""Blue Murder,""Cadfael,""Cracker,""Classic Father Brown,""Hetty Wainthropp Investigates,""Jonathan Creek,""Inspector Morse,""Classic Miss Marple,""Vera," and "Prime Suspect." Those are just a few of the series that are on Britbox. There are well over 50 murder mystery series on Britbox at any given time.
Classic Doctor Who: Britbox is one of the few streaming services that shows all of the Classic "Doctor Who" episodes from 1963 through 1989. Not only that, but it has "K9 & Company" and those hokey 1960s movies that starred Peter Cushing: "Dr. Who and the Daleks" and "Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D."
Britcoms: Britbox has many more sitcoms than Acorn TV -- both classic sitcoms and more contemporary sitcoms. Stuff like "Are You Being Served?,""Keeping Up Appearances,""Mr. Bean,""The Damned,""One Foot in the Grave,""Father Ted,""Porridge,""Red Dwarf,""Rev.," and "The Vicar of Dibley."
Soaps: Britbox has all of Britain's greatest soap operas. I'm talking about "Eastenders,""Emmerdale,""Casualty," and "Holby City." Oh, and my own favorite: "Coronation Street!" Not only do they have the soaps, but those soaps get streamed on the same day as they do in the UK. So you can watch "Corrie" and then gab away about the latest romantic plot twist with your British online buddies. Honestly, this is the biggest reason that I keep Britbox around!
Quiz Shows/Talk Shows: Britbox regularly streams Stephen Fry's and Sandy Toksvig's quiz show, "QI." There are also a variety of comedic talk shows like "Alan Davies: As Yet Untitled" and "Mock the Week." I'm not a huge fan of these shows, but I know folks who are and they vouch for these shows.
News: Britbox actually airs daily episodes of "Good Morning Britain" featuring Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid. There is a political debate show called "Question Time" that's quite good. And then there's this podcast-turned-political TV show called "Brexitcast" that's a good source for understanding the forces behind Brexit.
Original Programming: Britbox has also been the source of a handful of original programs,including "Dark Heart,""The Bletchley Circle: San Francisco," and "Mum." Also, "Father Brown" fans were excited to discover an entire season of the series appear this summer featuring everyone's favorite sleuthing priest!
What do I like about Acorn TV?
Original Programming: Acorn TV has some really great shows that attracted my attention. Dramas and mysteries, in particular. Such as "Agatha Raisin" and "Ms. Fisher's Modern Murder Mysteries" and "Queens of Mystery." I tend of go for the cozy murder mysteries, and all of these shows fit the bill! Additionally, I was a fan of "Detectorists" before it got pulled from Netflix. It's on Acorn TV and it has an extra season that never appeared on Netflix. And new episodes of "Doc Martin" just started streaming this week!
Agatha Christie: Both services have Agatha Christie adaptations, but Acorn TV has the more recent "Marple" series and all of the classic "Poirot" episodes and movies. Additionally, it has "The Agatha Christie Hour" from the early 80s -- which is a combination of mystery, intrigue, and romance. And it has that wonderful "Partners in Crime" series from 1983 that started Francesca Annis and James Warwick.
Documentaires: Acorn TV has a ton of documentaries that explore British history and culture. I'm not as keen on those shows, but Husband Mark loves them.
Crime Thrillers: I mentioned original programming up above, but Acorn TV has several great thrillers in its catalog. Stuff like "Loch Ness,""Line of Duty,""Rebus,""Jack Taylor," and "Black Work." They're grittier and more contemporary. I don't see stuff like this on Britbox and it's pretty good stuff.
More Mysteries: This seems to be Acorn TV's big draw: thrillers and mysteries. In addition to stuff listed above, it has stuff like "Murdoch Mysteries,""Mystery Road,""Mr. & Mrs. Murder,""Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries,""London Kills,""Foyle's War," and "Rumpole of the Bailey."
Foreign Movies: Acorn TV has a small assortment of "foreign language" programming -- particularly Spanish and French programming. I personally haven't watched any of these shows.
So...? Britbox or Acorn TV?
In terms of content, Britbox has more to offer. It does better in my opinion with comedy and with science fiction. It's done a great job was getting access to soap operas and news programming and it's wonderful that we can watch that content withing hours of it airing in the UK. In contrast, Canadian "Corrie" fans are perpetually two weeks behind British and American viewers.
Acorn TV has less content overall. But its catalog of mysteries and thrillers is much better. Particularly when it comes to modern content. And it has much more to choose from when it comes to foreign content and films (though Britbox is getting better when it comes to offering classic films).
Keep in mind that there are some shows (like "Midsomer,""Vera," and "Poirot") that appear on both streaming services.
Also, keep in mind that both services cost roughly the same. Britbox is currently $6.99 per month and Acorn TV is currently $5.99 per month.
Hopefully, this will help with making a decision on which streaming service to get. Good luck!