ITV has joined YouTube’s partner programme, making ITV programmes available to viewers on the Google-owned video platform.
The broadcaster’s commercial team will handle advertising around all ITV and ITV Studios YouTube channels, including both content made by ITV and commissioned by ITV.
It has created a dedicated YouTube unit within the commercial team led by Abul Noor. He joins from Channel 4 in the newly created role of head of YouTube sales.
Advertisers will be able to target campaigns by programmes, genre, viewer demographics and device type, among other categories.
Meanwhile, ITV Studios’ new digital content arm, Zoo 55, will manage the broadcaster’s presence on YouTube.
Beyond BVOD
It is part of ITV’s strategy of maximising reach and “viewing opportunities” for its content beyond linear channels and streaming platform ITVX.
Full episodes of programmes will be available, covering genres from sport to documentary, from reality to news.
This includes I’m A Celebrity… Get Me out of Here!, An Audience with Kylie, Bullseye and ITV’s long-running soaps.
Furthermore, ITV will be developing clips and fan content around its most popular shows especially tailored for the YouTube audience.
ITVX’s content strategy: Hero genres, higher volume and catching the long tail
Kevin Lygo, media and entertainment managing director at ITV, said the partnership is part of ITV’s “continuing strategic approach” to expand reach alongside ITVX and broadcast channels.
The move follows fellow broadcaster Channel 4 in the move to uploading full content to YouTube.
Kelly Williams, managing director at ITV Commercial, hinted at the announcement earlier this week at The Future of TV Advertising Global.
He admitted that, while leaning in to YouTube this heavily may not have been something he’d have considered just a few years ago, ITV had “thought carefully” about the opportunity, noting that Channel 4 has not yet seen cannibalisation of audiences.
Williams added that ITV is not necessarily wedded to the strategy if it does backfire. “If this doesn’t work, we can take it down,” he said, noting that he has confidence there is an opportunity to drive revenue via YouTube.
In a separate statement confirming the YouTube roll-out, Williams added: “Working with YouTube provides our advertisers with even more ways to engage with audiences in premium brand-safe content from the nation’s best-loved TV shows, with a wide selection of targeting options.
“ITV Commercial’s sales team will be selling the inventory around all our YouTube content and, working alongside ITV Studios and Zoo 55, we will be creating opportunities for clients across a wide span of genres and programmes beyond ITV’s commissioned long-form content.”
