ITV’s live and on-demand services will continue to be available on both Virgin Media’s cable TV network and its forthcoming new IPTV service.
A five-year deal signed by the two companies today also paves the way for full integration of the ITV Hub on Virgin TV. Some Virgin TV customers will also gain access to new features including ‘programme start-over’ and cloud recording in the future.
Details of the amount of money involved in the deal were not disclosed. However, under the terms of the deal, ITV will gain additional prominence on Virgin’s TV platforms. Bespoke “curations of content” will be made available within the catch-up section of Virgin TV’s interface.
Additionally, advertisers will also gain access to Virgin TV users through Planet V, ITV’s addressable advertising platform. This will allow advertisers to reach Virgin TV users through the ITV Hub.
ITV on Virgin Media IPTV service
All ITV channels will also be available on Virgin TV’s new IPTV service, which today was revealed as launching in “early 2022”. Consumer trials of the service are ongoing, but participants have signed a non-disclosure agreement. ITV will insert targeted advertising on its live channels via the new platform.
ITV’s previous deal with Virgin Media gave the cable platform exclusive access to the HD version of lifestyle and reality channel ITVBe.
Executive responses
Carolyn McCall, CEO of ITV, said:
“This extended and enhanced commercial agreement brings benefits to both ITV’s viewers and advertisers and the work that Virgin Media O2 is doing to develop its IP proposition advantages both those groups.
As Planet V continues to grow at scale, we’re able to deliver addressable advertising via the fully integrated ITV Hub on the great platform that Virgin Media O2 continues to evolve via both on-demand and linear viewing. Plus our viewers are able to access ITV’s fantastic range of programming more easily than ever before with an enhanced viewing experience.”
Lutz Schüler, CEO of Virgin Media O2, said:
“We have been a longstanding partner of ITV for many years and this new agreement further cements our relationship. It paves the way for future product innovation and delivers more for our customers and our business, as well as enhancing the toolkit available to advertisers.
“Our focus in TV is all about providing incredible entertainment to our customers in a seamless way underpinned by the very best connectivity. As we continue to invest and innovate, having ITV’s vast selection of must-watch programming fully integrated and easily accessible plays a huge part in giving our customers a fantastic experience both now and in the future.”