American subscription video streaming service
Acorn TV is a British-American subscription
video streaming service offering television programming from the
United Kingdom ,
Canada ,
Australia ,
New Zealand , other
Commonwealth countries, and
Spain . In other countries, it is available on a variety of devices including
Amazon Fire TV ,
Apple TV ,
Android TV ,
Chromecast , and
Roku .
History
Acorn TV is owned by
RLJ Entertainment, Inc.
[1]
Acorn Media Group has distributed British television in the United States since 1994, originally selling
VHS tapes before moving into
DVD and
Blu-ray media.
[2] Continuing the company's expansion into new formats, Acorn TV launched as a subsection of Acorn's direct-to-consumer
e-commerce website in 2011.
[3] In 2013, Acorn TV was relaunched as a standalone service with expanded content offerings and monthly and annual subscription options.
[4] In 2013, the service began offering exclusive content, starting with the United States premiere of
Doc Martin , Series 6.
[5] In 2015, Acorn TV was the only niche streaming service to have a program nominated for an
Emmy when
Curtain: Poirot's Last Case was nominated for
Outstanding Television Movie .
[6] As of December 31, 2016, it had 430,000 paid subscribers.
[7]
[8]
Acorn TV launched in the
United Kingdom as a service in its own right on April 29, 2020.
[9]
On 24 November 2022, Acorn TV announced without further elaboration that it would no longer be available in
South Africa by the end of 2022, and requested that subscribers cancel their memberships.
[10]
[11] The service previously launched in South Africa from December 2018.
[12]
[13]
On August 29, 2023, it was announced that Acorn TV would end its services in
Portugal as of September 29.
[14]
On December 20, 2023, Acorn TV announced that it would not be available in
Mexico after February 6, 2024.
[15]
Programming
Acorn TV offers a combination of new and classic mysteries, dramas, comedies, and documentaries. The service licenses content from producers and distributors including
ITV ,
Channel 4 ,
BBC Studios ,
All3Media , DRG,
ZDF , and Content Media.
Original programming
Because its parent company, RLJ Entertainment, has a 64% stake in
Agatha Christie Limited, the licensing arm of the Christie estate,
[16]
[17] Acorn TV was able to offer the United States premieres of the final episodes of
Agatha Christie's Poirot in summer 2014,
[18] BBC co-production
Partners in Crime in September 2015,
[19] and
The Witness for the Prosecution
[20] in 2017.
RLJ Entertainment also owns all rights to
Foyle's War ,
[21] allowing Acorn TV to offer the United States premiere of the final season in 2015.
[22] Subsequent original series include
Agatha Raisin ,
[23]
Close to the Enemy ,
[24]
The Level ,
[25]
Striking Out ,
[26]
Queens of Mystery ,
[27]
Dead Still ,
[28] and
Ms Fisher's Modern Murder Mysteries .
[29] On October 20, 2020, it was announced that the series
Dalgliesh will premiere in 2021.
[30]
United States premieres
Since its launch, Acorn TV has offered the United States premieres of some or all seasons of British series including
Detectorists ,
[31]
Vera ,
[32]
Inspector George Gently ,
[33] and
Midsomer Murders .
[34] After initially focusing exclusively on programming from the
United Kingdom , Acorn TV expanded its content offering to include programs from other territories, including Australia's
A Place to Call Home ,
[35]
Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries ,
[36]
Jack Irish ,
[37] and
Janet King ,
[38] New Zealand's
The Brokenwood Mysteries ,
[39] the Australian-New Zealand series
800 Words ,
[40] Canada's
Murdoch Mysteries
[41] and
19-2 ,
[42] and Ireland's
Clean Break and
Striking Out .
[43]
[44] In 2015, the service began offering foreign-language dramas.
[45] The service also offers a selection of documentaries, including historical, travel, arts, and science titles.
On August 5, 2019, the Australian mystery series
My Life Is Murder
[46] premiered on Acorn.
[47] On September 30, 2020, it was announced that the Irish drama series The South Westerlies
[48] premiered on November 9, 2020.
[49] On October 27, 2020, it was announced that the miniseries
A Suitable Boy will premiere on December 7, 2020.
[50]
See also
References
^
"Acorn TV toasts Agatha Christie with launch of original series" . StreamDaily . Archived from
the original on February 25, 2021. Retrieved March 3, 2016 .
^ Yahr, Emily (November 29, 2011).
"Silver Spring-based Acorn Media streams British TV classics" . The Washington Post .
ISSN
0190-8286 . Retrieved March 3, 2016 .
^
"Acorn TV streaming British television favorites" . Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved February 25, 2016 .
^
"Acorn TV Increases Programming and Exclusives for its 'Best British TV' Streaming Service" . CinemaRetro. Retrieved February 25, 2016 .
^
"Brit TV News: Doc Martin Series 6 Set to Premiere on Acorn TV October 7th!" . Anglotopia.net . September 12, 2013. Retrieved March 3, 2016 .
^ The New York Times (July 16, 2015).
"Emmy Awards 2015: Winners and Nominees" . The New York Times .
ISSN
0362-4331 . Retrieved March 3, 2016 .
^ Szalai, Georg (November 14, 2016).
"Robert Johnson's RLJ Entertainment Posts Narrowed Third-Quarter Loss | Hollywood Reporter" . The Hollywood Reporter .
^ Spangler, Todd (January 17, 2017).
"British TV Streaming Service Acorn TV Tops 430,000 Subscribers" . Variety .
^ Kanter, Jake (April 2, 2020).
"AMC Networks Streamer Acorn TV To Launch In UK This Month" . Deadline Hollywood .
^ Ferreira, Thinus (November 24, 2022).
"Video streaming service Acorn TV shutting down in South Africa after 4 years without explanation, asks users to cancel their subscriptions" . TV with Thinus: News & analysis on South African television . South Africa: Blogger. Retrieved November 28, 2022 .
^ Labuschagne, Hanno (November 24, 2022).
"Acorn TV video streaming service shutting down in South Africa" . MyBroadband News . Pretoria, South Africa: MyBroadband. Retrieved November 28, 2022 .
^
"Another video streaming service launches in SA and it's perfect for fans of British telly" . News24.com . Cape Town, South Africa: Naspers. December 13, 2018. Retrieved November 28, 2022 .
^ Ferreira, Thinus (December 12, 2018).
"Video streaming service Acorn TV launches in South Africa and another 29 countries with the best of British telly" . TV with Thinus: News & analysis on South African television . South Africa: Blogger. Retrieved November 28, 2022 .
^ Sousa, Nuno Pereira de (August 29, 2023).
"Acorn TV: termina este serviço de streaming" . Bandas Desenhadas (in European Portuguese). Retrieved February 11, 2024 .
^ Pixel, Martin (December 20, 2023).
"Acorn TV se va de México: el servicio de AMC con producciones británicas desaparece y se une a Lionsgate+ y Cinépolis Klic" . Xataka . Mexico.
^
"About Agatha Christie Limited" . Agathachristie.com .
^
"BBC One, Lifetime Partner To Remake Agatha Christie's 'And Then There Were None' " . Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved February 25, 2016 .
^
"Case Closed: Agatha Christie's Detective Poirot Solves His Last TV Mystery" . NPR. Retrieved February 25, 2016 .
^
"Murder mysteries abound in exclusive Agatha Christie's Partners in Crime trailer" . Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved February 25, 2016 .
^
"What's New On Acorn TV January 2017: Agatha Christie, 'Murdoch Mysteries', and More" . Decider | Where To Stream Movies & Shows on Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Instant, HBO Go . January 1, 2017. Retrieved January 19, 2017 .
^ Jensen, Elizabeth (March 25, 2012).
"Acorn Media Cashing In on British Revivals" . The New York Times .
ISSN
0362-4331 . Retrieved March 3, 2016 .
^ Hale, Mike (February 2015).
"Understated Detective Wraps It Up" . The New York Times . Retrieved February 25, 2016 .
^
"Acorn TV Is Doing Originals Now Because There's No Such Thing as Too Many British Shows" . Decider . November 4, 2016. Retrieved January 19, 2017 .
^ Writer, David Hinckley (November 12, 2016).
"1946 Acorn Drama Close to the Enemy Weighs Valuable Scientific Assets vs. Nazi War Criminals" . The Huffington Post . Retrieved January 19, 2017 .
^ Tartaglione, Nancy (April 19, 2016).
"Acorn Media Boards ITV Thriller 'The Level' As North American Co-Producer" . Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved January 19, 2017 .
^ Tartaglione, Nancy (August 22, 2016).
"Acorn Falls For Irish Drama 'Striking Out' In Co-Production Deal" . Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved January 19, 2017 .
^ White, Peter (September 6, 2018).
" 'The Woman In White's Olivia Vinall To Front Acorn TV's Female Detective Drama 'Queens Of Mystery' " .
Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved April 13, 2019 .
^ Michael Starr,
"‘Dead Still’ gives look into creepy world of Victorian-era death photography" .
The New York Post , May 19, 2020.
^ Kanter, Jake (July 28, 2020).
" 'Ms Fisher's Modern Murder Mysteries' To Become Acorn TV Original As AMC Streamer Orders Season 2" . Deadline Hollywood .
^
"AMC Networks' Acorn TV and Channel 5 Commission New British Detective Drama "Dalgliesh" from New Pictures" .
The Futon Critic . October 20, 2020.
^ Lloyd, Robert (August 25, 2015).
"British 'Detectorists' on Acorn TV uncovers a comedy treasure" .
Los Angeles Times . Retrieved March 3, 2016 .
^
"Acorn TV announces the returns of BAFTA-winning comedy DETECTORISTS, Series 2 and British crime drama VERA, Series 6" .
Broadcasting & Cable . February 24, 2016. Retrieved June 26, 2020 .
^ McNamara, Mary (May 15, 2014).
"TV picks: 'Modern Family,' 'Inspector George Gently,' 'Orphan Black' " .
Los Angeles Times . Retrieved March 3, 2016 .
^ O'Keefe, Meghan (June 23, 2015).
" 'Midsomer Murders': Is Rural England The Most Dangerous Place On Television?" .
Decider . Retrieved March 3, 2016 .
^ Terrero, Nina (April 1, 2015).
" 'A Place To Call Home': 7 reasons to watch Australia's sexiest period soap" .
Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved March 3, 2016 .
^ Holmes, Linda (March 31, 2014).
"Essie Davis: On Playing A Sexually Liberated 'Superhero' Without Apology" .
NPR . Retrieved March 3, 2016 .
^ Tucker, Ken (May 2, 2016).
" 'Jack Irish': The Guy Pearce Comeback You Didn't Know You Wanted" .
Yahoo! TV . Retrieved January 19, 2017 .
^ Tucker, Ken (March 14, 2016).
" 'Janet King': A Legal Drama With A Striking Star" .
Yahoo! TV . Retrieved January 19, 2017 .
^ Genzlinger, Neil (December 26, 2015).
"A Global TV Tour via Streaming: England, Australia and New Zealand" .
The New York Times .
ISSN
0362-4331 . Retrieved March 3, 2016 .
^ Hale, Mike (September 5, 2016).
"Review: In '800 Words,' a Widowed Father of Teenagers Uproots the Family" .
The New York Times .
ISSN
0362-4331 . Retrieved January 19, 2017 .
^
"Blu-ray Review: Murdoch Mysteries, Series 5 " .
Blogcritics . April 13, 2013. Retrieved March 3, 2016 .
^ Genzlinger, Neil (January 18, 2016).
"Review: '19-2,' a Police Drama on Acorn TV, Is a Slow Burn" .
The New York Times .
ISSN
0362-4331 . Retrieved March 3, 2016 .
^
"Acorn TV | Clean Break" . Acorn TV . Archived from
the original on February 6, 2017. Retrieved February 5, 2017 .
^ Tartaglione, Nancy (August 22, 2016).
"Acorn Falls For Irish Drama 'Striking Out' In Co-Production Deal" .
Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved February 5, 2017 .
^
"Critics' picks: Romanian TV miniseries 'Umbre' shines" .
Fort Worth Star-Telegram . Retrieved March 3, 2016 .
^ Bundel, Ani (September 13, 2022).
" 'My Life is Murder' Season 3 to Premiere in October" . Telly Visions . Retrieved January 16, 2023 .
^
"Lucy Lawless Stars in Acorn TV's Newest Australian Mystery Series "My Life Is Murder" " .
The Futon Critic . July 11, 2019.
^ Gomez, Adrian (November 12, 2020).
"Living a lie: 'The South Westerlies' explores consequences of deception" . www.abqjournal.com . Retrieved January 16, 2023 .
^
"Acorn TV's Original Irish Drama Series "The South Westerlies" Makes Exclusive Worldwide Premiere on Monday, November 9" .
The Futon Critic . September 30, 2020.
^
"Acorn TV Secures Exclusive U.S. Premiere for BBC Studios' Groundbreaking Period Drama "A Suitable Boy" " .
The Futon Critic . October 27, 2020.
External links