ITV to relaunch online television service

by Staff, Brand Republic 18-Mar-08, 11:30

LONDON - ITV is set to relaunch its online service where users can watch TV shows they have missed, following the success of the BBC's iPlayer.

ITV will improve the search facility on the service, adding genre searches and highlighting popular programming, and is also considering a rebrand and a marketing campaign to promote it.

BBC's iPlayer has been a huge success since its launch at Christmas, and although a fledgling brand, the name is already well established with UK web users who have flocked to watch shows such as 'Doctor Who'.

By contrast, the ITV catch-up service lacks clear branding and has not been heavily promoted since its launch last year. It is thought that data gleaned since its launch will be used to help improve the service.

It was revealed earlier this month that ITV had signed a deal with Bebo to make content available on dedicated sites. Members of the online social networking site will be able to link to content from their profiles as well as adopting specially designed "skins" based on shows such as ITV2's 'Gossip Girl'.

The broadcaster has said it aims to generate £150m in revenue from online services by 2010.