A streaming service chronicling the lives of the Royal Family and their peers around the world is raising £25m ahead of a push to secure more viewers.
True Royalty TV is plotting investment in original shows and marketing after a distribution deal with Amazon Prime put it on track to double subscriber numbers by the middle of next year.
The service is poised for an upsurge in interest amid a busy 2021 for the Royal Family, with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge turning 40, the 20th anniversary of the Queen Mother’s death and the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. It is already capitalising on interest in the Duke and Duchess of Sussex after they left Britain last year
The £5.99-a-month app features documentary, lifestyle and historical shows, such as ‘Harry and Meghan: The Troubled Years; Albert: The Power Behind Victoria; and Diana: Who Do You Think She Was?.
Chief executive Gregor Angus said the business is now at a point where it can aim for significant growth.
He said: “The distribution footprint we now have in place with Comcast in America, the Roku channel and Amazon Prime, can really drive growth across those platforms, as well as on our website and app.
“We can go quicker because we have this enviable US footprint, which will also take us into other markets internationally. Our ambition now requires growth capital and institutional funding.”
True Royalty TV, which adds about 20 new shows to its service every month, funds its own programmes as well as working on co-productions with rival broadcasters.
It is currently jointly funding a show with Channel 4 which will air on the terrestrial broadcaster’s TV channel in the UK but appear on True Royalty TV overseas.
The business conducted a YouGov survey in America to better understand the demand for royal content and found that 14m people would consider taking out a subscription to its service.
It comes amid a backdrop of consolidation across the media industry as old entertainment titans join forces to counter the rise of Netflix and Disney+.
Discovery is in the midst of a $43bn (£31bn) mega merger with WarnerMedia that will bring together its stable of channels with the likes of HBO and Cartoon Network.
True Royalty TV – which was created by Mr Angus and Nick Bullen, the founder of TV production company Spun Gold – expects further takeovers among smaller streaming companies as the bigger entertainment players look to burnish their offerings.
Mr Bullen said the company’s tie-up with Amazon has made it one of the fastest growing streamers in the UK, helped by the online retailer’s algorithm which has allowed it to target users with royal interests.
