Broadcaster ITV announces scrapping of ITV Hub with replacement ITVX offering subscription or advertisement models.
British broadcaster ITV announced earlier this week (03/03/22) that the company is scrapping its current ITV Hub model in favour of ITVX, the UK’s first integrated advertising and subscription funded platform.
ITVX is set to launch with around 15,000 hours of content, compared to the ITV Hub which has 4,000 hours currently. The platform will also merge together access of ITV shows and live entertainment, as well as access all content from the additional streaming platform BritBox, co-created by ITV and the BBC.
Becoming the first platform to offer both advertorial and subscription models, viewers will be able to choose between free viewing with advertisements, similar to the current ITV Hub model, or upgrade to a subscription tier removing all adverts, as mirrored in their ITV Hub+ model.
The platform will also premiere content exclusively first on their platform, with full series becoming available after the first episode airs. This replicates the current binge strategy as seen across the video-on-demand landscape.
Announcing the news, ITV’s Chief Executive Carolyn McCall said, “This is fantastic for viewers – it will provide a simplified and seamless experience with thousands of hours of free content made up of both library and original exclusive content.
“The subscription tier will provide a premium offering and includes all of the content ad-free as well as BritBox and future SVOD content partners.”
ITVX-clusive Shows
As part of the exclusive content available at launch, ITVX will be premiering new shows: A Spy Among Friends starring Damian Lewis and Guy Pearce, Nolly starring Helena Bonham Carter, Sir Lenny Henry’s six-part drama The Little Birds, Litvinenko starring David Tennant and The Sex Lives of College Girls created by Emmy®-nominated writer/producer Mindy Kaling.
Subscribers will also have access to BritBox which showcases the biggest streaming collection of UK series from BBC, Channel 4 and Channel 5 and includes exclusives such as Classic Doctor Who.
In addition, ITVX will offer specialised channels for directed viewing. These themed channels (known as FAST Channels – Free Ad-supported TV Channels) will provide users with an ever-changing host of exclusive themed channels, data-driven to align with viewer preferences and popularity.
These constantly evolving pop-up channels will give a scheduled experience through a streaming service, with viewers able to choose where in the schedule they join.
With 20 channels at launch, including programme centric, ‘The Chase’ or ‘Hell’s Kitchen US’ it will also allow for genre recommended content, like ‘’True Crime’ and ’90s Favourites’.
Viewers will also more importantly have the option for a curated, scheduled channel created from data collected using ITVX.
ITV intends to offer viewers a new themed channel, every week of the year on ITVX.
