BBC Studios has acquired ITV's 50% stake in BritBox International to give it full control of the streaming service.

The deal is worth £255m and includes continued licensing of ITV Studios content, enabling subscribers to access shows such as Death In Paradise, Line of Duty and Sherwood.

The move is a reverse of what happened with BritBox UK in 2022, when ITV bought out other partners including the BBC and is now in the process of fully folding the service into ITVX.

"This is an important acquisition for us," said Tom Fussell, CEO of BBC Studios. "We are taking full ownership of a successful, growing service we know well and that fits with our stated ambition to double the size of our business.

"Britbox International has British content at its heart and it generates and satisfies demand for British shows outside the UK. We will continue to make significant investments in the future to deliver long term value to the BBC."

ITV counterpart Carolyn McCall said: "The sale of 50% of BritBox International means ITV is focused on its core strategic goals of continuing to build on ITVX's success and growing ITV Studios."

BritBox International has around 3.75m subscribers globally and operates in territories including the US, Canada, Australia, South Africa and Scandinavia.