ITV Launch ITVX to replace ITVHub

[Brekkie]

Of course BritBox has seen ITV advertising shows like Strictly Come Dancing and Gavin and Stacey, which probably acts more as promotion for the BBC and the iPlayerthan it does BritBox. That said there has been a noteable change to focusing on original content since the New Year.

[Whataday]

In a linear world a two tier BBC has never really been practical but in a streaming world whilst it's great the BBC is making so much content available for free part of me thinks that they should really be moneitising that more - and perhaps it is easier to reach younger viewers through third party deals (so many found Peaky Blinders on Netflix, not iPlayer) than through their own.

Ultimately though how many subscriptions are people really willing to pay, especially during a cost of living crisis. I've never seen the point of paying for ITV Hub+ or All4+ just to skip the ads - I don't like them but I'm willing to sacrifice 3 minutes more than I am 3 quid a month for how frequently I use the services.

BritBox I only use when I get a free trial - indeed I've got the option of a free trial on Apple+ at the moment but just can't be bothered signing up to yet another service, with only Ted Lasso on there appealing really. Amazon I keep more for the free deliveries than the content - that's just a bonus. Now TV I'm watching less and less and with Euphoria finished I'll likely cancel next month for now, whilst Netflix is the only one I really keep out of choice as there are series cropping up every month or two which I do follow and enough extra content that I don't.


ITVX sounds like they're going for the Peacock model and if new content is part of the free tier I struggle to see a reason to add another subscription. BritBox has noticeably upped it's original content this year but all the new dramas feel pretty much the same - great if you like middle of the road crime dramas which ITV excel at, but not too appealling if you don't.

I was surprised to read recently that ITV Hub+ has more than 500,000 subscribers, which is a pretty decent figure to build on with ITVX.

[London Lite]

In a linear world a two tier BBC has never really been practical but in a streaming world whilst it's great the BBC is making so much content available for free part of me thinks that they should really be moneitising that more - and perhaps it is easier to reach younger viewers through third party deals (so many found Peaky Blinders on Netflix, not iPlayer) than through their own.

Ultimately though how many subscriptions are people really willing to pay, especially during a cost of living crisis. I've never seen the point of paying for ITV Hub+ or All4+ just to skip the ads - I don't like them but I'm willing to sacrifice 3 minutes more than I am 3 quid a month for how frequently I use the services.

BritBox I only use when I get a free trial - indeed I've got the option of a free trial on Apple+ at the moment but just can't be bothered signing up to yet another service, with only Ted Lasso on there appealing really. Amazon I keep more for the free deliveries than the content - that's just a bonus. Now TV I'm watching less and less and with Euphoria finished I'll likely cancel next month for now, whilst Netflix is the only one I really keep out of choice as there are series cropping up every month or two which I do follow and enough extra content that I don't.


ITVX sounds like they're going for the Peacock model and if new content is part of the free tier I struggle to see a reason to add another subscription. BritBox has noticeably upped it's original content this year but all the new dramas feel pretty much the same - great if you like middle of the road crime dramas which ITV excel at, but not too appealling if you don't.

I was surprised to read recently that ITV Hub+ has more than 500,000 subscribers, which is a pretty decent figure to build on with ITVX.

I think the ITV Hub+ proposition has been a pretty simple one. Pay £3.99 and we'll remove the ads. Regardless of the technical issues with the AVOD service, the SVOD version works fine, even if it's SD only.

[AlfieMulcahy]

More details on the launch, a trailer and some screengrabs of the UI have now been published:

https://www.tvzoneuk.com/post/itvx-everythingneed1


Looks a bit better than ITV Hub, and strange to see 'vigil', a BBC programme shown on the homepage of an ITV service - very strange. It's also weird how they haven't used Reem for the trailer text, although it does seem to appear in the UI.

[JAS84]

Britbox is incorporated into this, remember, that probably explains Vigil.

[London Lite]

The promo vid clearly shows the Britbox logo for shows that will remain with it.

[Ash101]

The bits of ITVX shown in that video makes it look like it'll just be ITV Hub but with a fresh lick of paint - which is a shame, as I was hoping for a change on the technical front to make it a better service.

The FAST channels do look interesting though, as seen in that video a channel like The Chase (yes yes we have Challenge TV) could probably be quite popular for background viewing to drop in and out of.

[AlfieMulcahy]

Britbox is incorporated into this, remember, that probably explains Vigil.

Yes, but that does little to make the situation less wierd.

[natashajacobs]

The bits of ITVX shown in that video makes it look like it'll just be ITV Hub but with a fresh lick of paint - which is a shame, as I was hoping for a change on the technical front to make it a better service.

The FAST channels do look interesting though, as seen in that video a channel like The Chase (yes yes we have Challenge TV) could probably be quite popular for background viewing to drop in and out of.

It looks nothing like ITV Hub with a fresh look of paint, they’ve redesigned the whole UI and added new features if that video’s anything to go by

[Ash101]

The bits of ITVX shown in that video makes it look like it'll just be ITV Hub but with a fresh lick of paint - which is a shame, as I was hoping for a change on the technical front to make it a better service.

The FAST channels do look interesting though, as seen in that video a channel like The Chase (yes yes we have Challenge TV) could probably be quite popular for background viewing to drop in and out of.

It looks nothing like ITV Hub with a fresh look of paint, they’ve redesigned the whole UI and added new features if that video’s anything to go by

It certainly looks very similar to the current ITV Hub app on the Fire Stick TV.

Current look here.

[natashajacobs]

It looks nothing like ITV Hub with a fresh look of paint, they’ve redesigned the whole UI and added new features if that video’s anything to go by

It certainly looks very similar to the current ITV Hub app on the Fire Stick TV.

Current look here.

The main menu of all streaming services look similar. They have added a load of simulated channels so the UI will have needed a major update.  The real question is whether the back end has been updated and I guess we won’t find out until it launches.

---

Also looks like they’ve added the Netflix style portrait image to landscape previews

[Brekkie]

Looks a bit better than ITV Hub, and strange to see 'vigil', a BBC programme shown on the homepage of an ITV service - very strange.

Vigil is made by ITV (through World Productions I think), as is Line of Duty - and as are quite a few BBC dramas mainly thanks to ITV buying the independent companies that made a name for themselves through BBC drama. ITV Studios also distribute such shows around the world - and frankly they can probably charge a premium when selling the show globally by them being seen as a BBC drama rather than an ITV show.

[London Lite]

I really don't think it's just a rebadged ITV Hub, there's content on Britbox which is 1080p such as the remastered Carry On films and Spitting Image which would lose out if it was downscaled to SD. I believe ITVX will be 1080p at launch to accommodate Britbox and the new acquisitions for ITVX.

[Scrotnig]

I don't really understand the move to effectively get rid of Britbox, which had been heavily pushed as a brand and which has become instantly recognisabe, and replace with "ITVX" which means absolutely nothing and could be absolutely anything.

I guess it's about pushing the ITV brand everywhere but I'm not sure that really works in this instance.

And as I think has been alluded to, "ITVX" sounds more like an adult channel.

[Brekkie]

I think it's an admission that BritBox has failed to break through so it's now a case of finding another way to deliver that catalogue of content to the public. ITV basically after the best of both worlds.