Ahead of the launch of ITVX, ITV now has 1.45 million paying subscribers across ITV Hub+ and BritBox UK.
Latest figures from ITV confirm the ITV Hub now has over 35.4 million registered accounts, meaning the vast majority of streamers still prefer the free version of the Hub. The number of people paying to watch ITV’s streaming services increased by around 200,000 between the end of December 2021 and June 2022.
By the end of June 2022, content hours on the Hub increased to 7,500 hours, up from 2,200 hours a year ago. This is in preparation for the launch of ITVX, which will have over 9,000 hours of content at launch.
Most drama series are now available in full on the ITV Hub when the first episode launches on linear channels. The ITV Hub already offers third-party boxsets, including from Warner – including titles such as The OC and One Tree Hill.
ITV loses Sky and Virgin Media streamers
Viewing directly through the ITV Hub and Amazon was up 21% thanks to drama, sport and Love Island. But those watching ITV on-demand content through Sky and Virgin Media fell by over 20%. ITV says this is because it’s had to reduce the availability of pre-transmission drama drops and box sets which it can’t monetise on those platforms.
Once ITVX launches, the app will be embedded on Sky and Virgin, which will allow viewers to access the full ITVX experience.
In total, streaming hours were up 6% year-on-year. The ITV Hub had received 814 million streaming requests during the first six months of 2022. Dwell time on ITV Hub, which measures the average time spent viewing per session across all platforms, was up 4% in the first half of the year. Simulcast viewing hours on ITV Hub and ITV Hub+ was up 7%
What will ITVX offer?
ITV has promised it will offer viewers…
- box sets made available in their entirety at the same time as linear transmission;
- free ad-supported streaming channels
- acquired content from third-parties, content partnerships, which means you’ll see programmes from broadcasters including CBS Reality on ITVX
- archive content – including the BritBox UK content library
- ITV’s six linear channels
When will ITVX launch?
ITVX is due to launch in the last three months of 2022 (the fourth quarter). A precise date hasn’t yet been confirmed by ITV. As it’s due to launch before the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, there is just a short window of time for ITVX to launch.