The National Theatre have today launched their very own paid-for streaming service, featuring an online archive of shows in the hope of generating a new and crucial source of income as it emerges from the pandemic. 

National Theatre at Home is intended as an ‘online streaming destination’ for theatre audiences and is a longer-term iteration of the venue’s lockdown project that saw NT Live productions streamed for free on YouTube. 

The subscription costs £9.98 a month, or £99.98 for the year, and audiences will also be able to rent individual productions for £5.99 for a 72 hours rental. The service has launched with 11 productions, a combination of NT Live and archive recordings. Titles include Phedre, Medea, Three Sisters, Othello and Mosquitoes. 

NT Executive Director Lisa Burger said that the free YouTube broadcasts have shown “what a huge appetite there is out there for people to watch theatre at home” but said the new platform would mark a ‘permanent shift’ for the organisation into offering on-demand productions online to audiences globally. 

National Theatre at Home joins the ranks of existing theatre-on-demand services such as Digital Theatre and Marquee TV. 

Subscription revenues will also support the artists and creatives making the platform’s shows. 

For more information and to subscribe, please click here.