Lovefilm signs BBC streaming deal

Lovefilm's war with Netflix has yet to begin, but the battle lines are being drawn. The Amazon-owned disc rental service today said it has licensed BBC and ITV content to stream.

Morse, Prime Suspect, Cold Feet and more will come from ITV's collection, while Doctor Who, Life On Mars, Spooks, Planet Earth and others will provide a taster of the Corporation's content Lovefilm will offer its subscribers.

Netflix struck a similar deal with the BBC in December 2011. Its streaming only service is due to kick off over here "early" this year, the company said in October 2011.

Without a DVD component, the range of content Netflix can offer will be limited - streaming rights are not so readily available as disc rental permission is - making it a tough choice for punters who are currently with rival disc-and-streaming services, most notably Lovefilm. ®