By Jonathan Easton
ITV has revealed the scope of its upcoming streaming service ITVX.
Announced in March, ITVX will launch in late 2022 as a “complete re-imagining” of BVOD streamer ITVHub. The platform will also absorb ITV-BBCS JB BritBox in the UK, though the SVOD will continue to operate as a standalone internationally.
The broadcaster has now said that ITVX will launch with over 9,000 hours of content available for free. A range of originals have been produced for ITVX, including the Damian Lewis and Guy Pearce-starring cold war drama A Spy Among Friends and Russell T Davies’ Nolly starring Helena Bonham Carter, and will stream exclusively on the platform for six months before being broadcast on ITV channels.
ITV also said that it will offer full series boxsets, the UK’s largest free film library, and over 150 hours of documentaries.
No ITV content will be hidden behind a paywall, with ITVX’s subscription tier incorporating 6,000 hours of content from BritBox UK. The subscription offering, with pricing yet to be announced, will also remove ads.
At the time of its initial reveal, ITV CEO Carolyn McCall said: “We are supercharging our streaming business, fundamentally shifting our focus to think digital first, as well as optimising our broadcast channels, by continuing to attract unrivalled mass audiences. In doing so we are responding to changing viewing habits, but also the evolving needs from our advertisers. This will enable ITV to continue to be both commercial viewers and advertisers’ first choice.”
