LONDON, July 10 (Reuters) - U.S. entertainment giant

Walt Disney ( DIS ) and British broadcaster ITV will

carry a selection of each other's shows on their respective

streaming platforms, Disney+ and ITVX, to help attract new

audiences, the companies said on Thursday.

Disney+ customers in Britain will be able to stream drama

"Mr Bates vs The Post Office", reality show "Love Island" and

thriller "Spy Among Friends" and other shows on the platform at

no extra cost under the banner "A Taste of ITVX", they said.

At the same time, ITVX viewers will be able to view a

rotating selection of Disney+ shows, branded "A Taste of

Disney+", which will include in the coming months the first

seasons of "The Bear" and "Only Murders in the Building" at no

cost.

Both companies are focused on building their streaming

audiences in an increasingly crowded field that also includes

Netflix ( NFLX ), Amazon Prime and the BBC's iPlayer.

Disney ( DIS ) offers three subscription plans in Britain, with the

cheapest carrying ads.

ITVX is predominantly ad-supported, although a minority of

viewers pay for a premium ad-free service.

ITV will sell the advertising for "A Taste of Disney+" on

ITVX, and Disney ( DIS ) will do likewise for the ITVX selection on

Disney+ standard with ads, the companies said.