ITV Establishes Interactive Division

ITV has announced the formation of ITV Interactive, a new division which is to incorporate all online and interactive activities and the portal operations of ITV Active.

The first stage of the division’s operations will be the long-awaited launch of ITV.com, scheduled to take place alongside the launch of the Autumn schedule. Extensive cross promotion is planned from ITV’s terrestrial and digital channels, giving exposure of around 50m viewers per week. The stated aim is to become “One of the top ten entertainment sites in the UK.”

ITV chief executive, Stuart Prebble, commented: “The ability to unlock the full potential of content across all digital media is key to the future of commercial broadcasting and this development will fuel ITV’s continued evolution.”

ITV will have some way to go to match the online efforts of its non-commercial rival, the BBC, which has established a formidable online presence already with www.bbc.co.uk. It is anticipated that the ITV Interactive’s programme related sites, such as Coronation Street and Crossroads, along with the ITV Football and ITV Weather, will generate around 25 million page impressions per month. Future plans include an interactive Who Wants To Be A Millionaire on ITV2.

Paul Greensmith has been put in charge of the new division, as director of interactivity. Currently chief operating officer of Carlton Interactive, he will now take on responsibility for all interactive operations across ITV, reporting to Stuart Prebble. He described his new position as “a great challenge and an exciting opportunity.”

ITV: 020 7843 8000 www.itv.co.uk

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