The BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5, BT and TalkTalk have entered into a new agreement to support hybrid terrestrial-streaming platform YouView until 2024.
YouView develops a maintains the software for the YouView service, currently available from receivers supplied by BT, TalkTalk and certain Sony TVs.
ITV has confirmed in an investor update that both the BBC and ITV will each contribute £750,000 per financial year. This covers the period between 1st April 2022 and 31st March 2024.
In 2014, broadcasters slashed their funding contributions from around £5 million a year. The move left BT and TalkTalk to pick up the rest of the costs. That five year deal expired in 2019, replaced by a deal running until the end of this month.
The lack of another five year funding agreement indicates not all YouView shareholders aren’t willing to commit to the service in the long-term. The BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5 are now joint stakeholders in Digital UK. Digital UK in turn is now developing both Freeview and Freesat and associated hybrid platforms.
TalkTalk’s ongoing inclusion is of interest as the ISP has begun to rollout a new TV service without YouView. Nevertheless, it is still offering its existing YouView TV box to new subscribers on its sign-up page.
YouView’s history
YouView was founded in 2010, but only launched to the public in 2012.
Originally the intention was for the platform to become the next generation of Freeview. It would combine linear TV with catch-up TV services in one EPG. Viewers would have the choice between getting YouView from an ISP or independently from a retailer. In time, YouView was dominated by ISPs bundling the service to subscribers. Particularly BT used YouView to drive its pay TV business, driven by the launch of BT Sport and a desire to compete with Sky. As a result, broadcasters opted to develop their own standalone, ISP-neutral service, which became Freeview Play.