Listen: Britbox CEO Soumya Sriraman Stands Her Ground Amid the Streaming Wars

By Andrew Wallenstein

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – It isn’t easy staying competitive in a streaming sector crowded with ventures big and small, but Britbox CEO Soumya Sriraman is secure in her corner of the market.

Britbox super-serves the super fans of British TV shows including “Vera” and “Hold the Sunset,” and the service’s demographic skews toward women over 45. That’s a core audience segment with no shortage of pay-TV and streaming brands vying for their attention with programming of all stripes. But Sriraman is confident she can hold onto her audience despite the quick-churn world of subscription VOD.

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“The market is very crowded, we are staying focused on who we are,” said Sriraman. “The audience that comes to us will stay loyal, all our metrics to date to tell us that.”

A joint venture of BBC Studios and ITV, Britbox has attracted more than one million subscribers in its three years of operation in North America, expanding recently to the UK and Australia. The growing popularity of UK TV fare has prompted her to revise her growth expectations.

“Our research told us five years ago we were going to cap out at the low single-digit millions [of subscribers],” she said. Then ‘The Crown’ happened, ‘Fleabag’ happened and now there’s a lot more people seeking out these kind of shows.”

“ Strictly Business ” is Variety‘s weekly podcast featuring conversations with industry leaders about the business of media and entertainment. A new episode debuts each Wednesday and can be downloaded on iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, Stitcher and SoundCloud.