BBC Studios and Anuvu Expand Maritime Offering with Launch of New Premium Channels

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  • New channels BBC Earth, BBC Lifestyle and BritBox now available for cruise ship passengers
  • New live sport including Guinness Six Nations, EFL Championship and Solheim Cup coming to BBC HD

LOMBARD, IL, NOVEMBER 3, 2025 – BBC Studios have announced the launch of three new premium channels tailored specifically for cruise ship passengers, offered exclusively through their maritime entertainment partner, Anuvu. The new channels – BBC Earth, BBC Lifestyle and BritBox - significantly expand BBC Studios’ out-of-home entertainment portfolio and will deliver a curated slate of world-class British content to global maritime passengers. The three new channels are available through Anuvu’s maritime entertainment service, MTN-TV on 116 cruise ships across 25 cruise lines, with ships operating across all corners of the world.

This strategic expansion builds on the success of BBC HD, which has been serving cruise passengers since 2017, and reflects BBC Studios’ commitment to delivering premium, purpose-driven content beyond traditional platforms.

The Channel Line-Up:

  • BBC HD: A flagship 24/7 English-language channel offering a rich mix of genres including drama, natural history, comedy, factual entertainment, and live events. Programming includes Truelove, Call the Midwife, Big Cats 24/7, Strictly Come Dancing, Eurovision Song Contest, and The Last Night of the Proms. The channel also features soaps within days of UK broadcast and premium live sports content broadcast on BBC HD as well as via the Anuvu Special Events channel.
  • BBC Earth: Winner of over 50 major awards in the last five years, including 3 Emmys, BBC Earth is a place to explore the natural world through awe-inspiring documentaries like Planet Earth III, bringing you face-to-face with heart-pounding action, mind-blowing ideas and the sheer wonder of being part of this amazing planet we call home.
  • BBC Lifestyle: A feel-good channel showcasing the best in food, travel, home, fashion, and wellness. Highlights include The Great British Bake Off, Rick Stein’s Secret France, DIY SOS, and Wilderness with Simon Reeve.
  • BritBox: The leading destination for British storytelling, BritBox offers a curated collection of acclaimed dramas, mysteries, comedies, and documentaries. For the first time, BritBox will be available to passengers as a scheduled channel with a handpicked lineup of British favourites including Blue Lights, Death Valley, Father Brown, The Office, and Silent Witness.

A number of selected titles from each channel will also be available for cruisers to watch on catch-up.

Passengers tuning into BBC HD can now enjoy even more live sport with the channel now airing Guinness Six Nations rugby, EFL Championship football, and the Solheim Cup golf.

This joins a pre-existing slate of live sport including the FA Cup, US Open golf and the Carabao Cup.

Zina Neophytou, SVP, BBC Studios Out Of Home, said: “Increasing our maritime offering with three more distinct BBC Studios channels showcases the very best of British storytelling and offers an amazing breadth of entertainment for global cruise ship passengers to choose from. It’s great that we can now also offer BritBox to maritime travellers for the very first time, and I’m also pleased to be bolstering our live sport offering on BBC HD, which has already proven very popular. This expansion reflects our commitment to delivering premium entertainment wherever audiences are around the world – on land, in the air and at sea.”

Travis Peterson, VP Product, Cruise and Ferry, Anuvu said, "We're excited to expand our content offering with BBC Studios to enhance the onboard experience for our cruise line partners. Following the success of BBC HD - whose diverse and engaging programming resonates with audiences across all demographics and nationalities - this expansion to include BBC Earth, BBC Lifestyle and BritBox was a natural next step in delivering even greater choice and quality for viewers at sea."

With over 80% market share and onboard more than 300 ships globally, Anuvu is the entertainment leader for cruise lines.

About BBC Studios

BBC Studios is the main commercial arm of BBC Commercial Ltd and generated revenues of £2.1 billion in the last year and profits of over £200 million for a fourth consecutive year. Able to take an idea seamlessly from thought to screen and beyond, the business is built on two operating areas: the content studio, which produces, invests and distributes TV and audio globally and media & streaming, with BBC branded channels, services including UKTV, BBC.com and BritBox International and joint ventures in the UK and internationally. The business made almost 3,300 hours of award-winning British programmes last year for a wide range of UK and global broadcasters and platforms. Its content is internationally recognised across a broad range of genres and specialisms, and includes world-famous brands like Strictly Come Dancing/Dancing with the Stars, the Planet series, Bluey and Doctor Who.

BBC Studios | Website | Press Office | Twitter | LinkedIn | Instagram |

About Anuvu

Anuvu connects and entertains the world’s passengers. Our award-winning content and connectivity solutions are reliable, scalable, and tailored to our customers’ brands and service objectives. With a flexible and agile approach, we maximize the technology available today, while optimizing for tomorrow.

Some of the most experienced professionals in the industry lead our teams and this, together with our long-standing client relationships, means we never stand still.

Anuvu. Let Innovation Move You.

Follow Anuvu on LinkedIn and X for further updates and insights or visit anuvu.com 

Media Contacts

BBC Studios
Naveen Mehta
Naveen.mehta@bbc.com

Anuvu
Caroline Smith
caroline.smith@anuvu.com

Released November 3, 2025