David Farnor | On 07, Sep 2016

British Pathé has launched its own subscription VOD service.

Called British Pathé TV, the site offers an extensive range of full-length documentaries, interviews, and classic movies.

The world’s leading historic film archive has established itself as the go-to place to stream old footage, with the British Pathé newsreel archive already available for free on its separate website and YouTube channels. 7 million viewers a month currently visit its sites to stream those archives.

Now, though, British Pathé is entering the Netflix arena. The new channel will focus on long-form videos and is designed to be an “alternative to the current mainstream broadcast channels”, with target audiences including history buffs, royal watchers, cinema aficionados, and train enthusiasts.

Roger Felber, Managing Director of British Pathé, explains: “We have felt for some time that many viewers are not being catered for by the existing factual channels and that British Pathé, with its well-known name and brand – and with 7 million monthly visitors to our existing free online platforms – is best-placed to launch such a long-form programming channel that can provide a real alternative for those with specialist interests.”

British Pathé TV is launching with hundreds of hours of programmes, many never-before-seen on TV. The programmes are divided into specialist strands, all of which are available to subscribers:

History

High-quality documentaries on a variety of historical topics, including Royalty and Military. Some of the highlights of this strand are The Story of British Pathé, a four-episode BBC Four documentary that provides a fascinating introduction to the history of the pioneering newsreel company, and A Year To Remember, a series that recalls the definitive events of the 20th Century, year by year, as they were reported at the time.

Cinema History

Hundreds of programmes for those who love cinema, featuring interviews with Hollywood’s best film directors, profiles of iconic and contemporary film stars, and on set behind-the-scenes features on some of the biggest blockbusters and acclaimed indies of recent years.

Classic Movies

A specially-curated selection of classic feature films, including Howards Hawks’ His Girl Friday, Fritz Lang’s Scarlet Street and Stanley Donen’s Charade, with further titles to be added in the coming weeks.

Railway History

A wide selection of railway and train documentaries, most never seen on TV, for the millions of train enthusiasts around the world.

Film of the Season

A special, high-profile film that defies categorisation. The very first Film of the Season is a brand new British Pathé co-production which has not yet been seen outside Ireland: Revolution In Colour. To coincide with the centenary of the Easter Rising in Dublin, April 1916, this feature-length film has been produced to tell the complete story of this tumultuous period in full colour for the first time.
 

British Pathé TV is available to everyone, anywhere in the world via the britishpathe.tv website. iPhone and iPad users can also download the British Pathé TV app. It is also compatible with Google Chromecast.

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