ITV has announced its new streaming service ITVX, which will fully launch on December 8, one month after it was initially planned.
It will replace its current platform ITV Hub, and signals a significant shift away from traditional broadcasting.
ITV’s Chief Executive, Carolyn McCall said: “We’re really excited to launch ITVX, with more content available than ever before, and a whole range of exclusive commissions.”
New programmes will be shown exclusively on ITVX six to nine months before being broadcast on the television channels and viewers can binge watch them.
Viewers will have over 10,000 hours of content on launch day and new shows will be available on that date.
They include A Spy Among Friends, a cold war drama starring Damian Lewis, and the final episode of ITV2 comedy Plebs.
ITVX will offer a lot more than its predecessor with over 250 feature films available, an archive of ITV favourites – including every episode of Love Island – and a special news section.
“Viewers can expect to see a dedicated rail featuring the most significant and interesting stories, updated throughout the day,” said McCall.
Reports will be in collaboration with ITV’s bulletins and their flagship breakfast show, Good Morning Britain.
Content will be free for everyone but a subscription of £5.99 a month or £59.99 a year will give ad-free episodes and access to UK streaming service BritBox.
ITV’s move to focus more on streaming represents a wider trend with young people watching traditional broadcasting less.
According to Ofcom, 90% of 18-24 year olds choose to watch streaming services over traditional television channels.
16-24 year olds spend just 53 minutes a day watching broadcast television compared to around six hours for those aged over 65.
Over 16 million households in the UK have at least one subscription service but that has decreased by nearly one million due to the cost-of-living crisis.
Netflix has introduced advertising and tiered subscriptions in an attempt to increase growth and stop the decline.
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