ITV Invests £20m To Get Its Channels Online

All of ITV’s channels will be available online after the broadcaster relaunches its website, ITV.com, to the tune of £20 million.

The new site, which is expected to go live in a few weeks, will also feature a 30-day catch-up service and the chance for users to upload their own news clips.

“Today we are combining the best of TV with the best of the web to create a service unrivalled by any other commercial broadcaster anywhere in the world,” said the executive chairman of ITV, Michael Grade.

“Some [broadcasters] are already streaming their channels, some are providing catch-up and some are building their archive, but ITV.com will provide all three.”

Services available on ITV.com will include a ‘Best of ITV’ archive with programmes organised by genre to cover news, drama, entertainment, sport, lifestyle and soaps.

A team of 40 online content editors and multimedia producers has been employed to work alongside channel commissioners and programme makers to ensure content linked to TV output is available on ITV.com and develop “360 degree” shows for mobile, TV and broadband.

A new service, ‘Uploaded’, will tie into ITV News, allowing viewers to upload their own eyewitness news clips to ITV.com.

A range of exclusive “made for broadband” content will also be made available.

The website will be an ad-funded, free-to-access service. Ad formats will include click-able video ads; video pre-rolls which run before streamed content is viewed; bespoke advertising around non-live content and sponsorship of made for broadband content.

There will also be a range of interactive broadband games combining archive footage of gameshows with new audio recordings.

“Together with the continued expansion of ITV Local and the growth of Friends Reunited we now have an unparalleled online presence and are well placed to further exploit the growing online advertising market,” said the director of ITV Consumer, Jeff Henry.

Yesterday, the BBC Trust approved the corporation’s plan to launch its iPlayer and on-demand service (see BBC Trust Gives iPlayer Final Approval), with today’s news indicating ITV’s biggest bid to date to bring its TV output to an online audience.

ITV: 020 7843 8000 www.itv.com