Marking its first move outside the U.S., Acorn TV, a subscription VOD service focused on British and other international TV shows, has launched in a dozen Latin American countries via Roku streaming devices.
Acorn TV’s initial launch into that region includes Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, and Peru.
Consumers there can subscribe to Acorn TV via their Roku player or at acorn.tv. The service for the Latin American region features content in English with Spanish subtitles and runs $4.99 per month.
The move will expand Acorn TV’s reach and deliver into the region a mix of British TV shows and other international fare, including Doc Martin, East Wing 101, and BBC drama Line of Duty, among others.
Acorn TV, an SVOD service owned by RLJ Entertainment, recently gained distribution on Comcast’s set-top box VOD platform, complementing its direct-to-consumer sales strategy.
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RLJ Entertainment announced in May that it ended Q1 with more than 750,000 subscribers for Acorn TV and UMC (Urban Movie Channel) combined in North America, but has not broken out individual sub numbers for those two services.
Rival SVOD service BritBox, an offering backed by BBC, ITV and AMC Networks, announced it had crossed the 250,000 sub mark in February, roughly a year after its U.S. debut.
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“Acorn TV has built a fast-growing subscriber base of passionate and loyal British and international TV fans in the U.S. and Canada, and we are excited to bring our unique offering of premium entertainment to other countries,” Matthew Graham, SVP and GM for Acorn TV, said in a statement. “Latin America marks an excellent first step, and we’re delighted to work with our valued partners at Roku who have been with us since the start of Acorn TV in 2011.”
