ITV and YouTube Announce Partnership

ITV and YouTube have formed a new partnership that will see hundreds of hours of ITV programs, including popular shows like "I'm A Celebrity" and "Love Island," made available on YouTube. This move is part of ITV's strategy to expand its reach and offer viewers more choice in how they consume content. 

The partnership will involve: 

• Content Distribution: Full episodes of various ITV show’s across different genres will be available on YouTube, alongside curated channels for specific shows and genres like ITV News and ITV Sport. 

• Content Creation: ITV will produce exclusive content for YouTube, including clips, compilations, and fan-made content to further engage viewers. 

• Advertising Opportunities: ITV will sell advertising slots around its content on YouTube, providing advertisers with targeted options based on factors like program, genre, and viewer demographics. 

This collaboration will enhance ITV's digital presence and allow it to capitalize on the growing popularity of YouTube as a content platform. ITV Studios' new digital content label, Zoo 55, will play a key role in managing ITV's YouTube presence and maximizing the value of its intellectual property. 

This is a model, which other broadcasters like Channel 4 (and 4OD previously) have already adopted, and will make all of ITV’s content more accessible to the public and therefore boost its reach.

On these shores, it’s unlikely we’ll see RTÉ or Virgin Media trial this approach any time soon. The RTÉ Player has just had its biggest year to date, in terms of streams.

It’s also unclear how this will affect content that Virgin Media has broadcast rights to from ITV, in Ireland. It will be interesting if any of the broadcasters in Ireland make a similar move. We will continue to monitor this. 

source: ITV