UK-based subscription service ITV Hub will have a major name change later this year. The streaming app is set to become ITVX and will completely replace ITV Hub and its subscription tiers at launch. However, monthly subscription costs for ITVX's rebranding have yet to be revealed, meaning a price increase is certainly a possibility.
As reported by What Hi-Fi?, ITVX will be no different from some of the best streaming apps available today such as Netflix, Prime Video and Disney Plus. ITVX will offer new series and movies on a weekly basis, and even sporting events can be seen live on the service.
Last year ITV Hub was added to Sky Q, introducing the app to Sky streaming box owners. The app is also available to download and watch on many of the leading 4K smart TVs, so now that the app is more widely available than ever, it's easy to see why ITV would want to expand and update its streaming service.
ITVX will offer an ad-supported free tier as well as a premium "ITVX Plus" tier with exclusive content that you probably can't see on the free version. Not only that, ITVX Plus tier will also get full access to Britbox, which brings together thousands of British-made TV shows and movies into a single streaming app.
Britbox received a warm welcome when it launched, not least because it offered American audiences an accessible way to easily watch some of the UK's best-loved dramas and comedies, including Gavin & Stacey, Doctor Who, Agatha Christie's Poirot and more.
So the inclusion of Britbox with ITVX should be a fantastic addition, but the service's graduation from ITV Hub is not without understandable concerns.
Analysis: Will ITVX lead to higher prices?
So ITVX looks like a promising upgrade to ITV Hub, but we're a little worried about some of the details of the new streaming service, especially when it comes to price.
Currently, ITV Hub costs €3.99 per month for its premium level. It's pretty good, but ITVX brings what should be a lot more content than is currently available on the ITV Hub. Not the least of the additions is the Britbox integration, which only costs €5.99 per month.
As such, it's perfectly reasonable to expect ITVX to raise its price over ITV Hub. After all, why subscribe to Britbox when ITVX offers that in addition to its own content at a cheaper monthly cost? We could be wrong here, of course, but we expect ITVX to raise its price to at least €5.99 per month, and that's a very generous estimate.
We also don't know if existing ITV Hub subscribers will automatically switch to ITVX, or get a first month discount or free trial if the price goes up. After all, suddenly having to pay extra for one of your favorite subscription services is never a good feeling.
On the plus side, the inclusion of Britbox could indicate that ITVX will be available outside of the UK. If you're in the US, for example, you can only access ITV Hub through a VPN connection. But if ITVX regroups with Britbox, which is available worldwide, ITV may very well be looking to spread its wings and finally cross the pond.