Andreas Beckwith’s Post

ITVX (formerly ITV Hub), has had an amazing start to 2024! The platform has seen a total 315 million streams throughout the month, more than any other month on ITVX and more than when it was ITV Hub. 🙌 ⚡The biggest individual day for streaming was Sunday 28th January with a record 14.8m streams, totalling 6.3m hours of streaming, the biggest single day of streaming since England’s World Cup exit on 10th December 2022. Notable content on this day included the FA Cup, Love Island All Stars and the launch of Trigger Point Series 2.   ⚡ITVX has seen some incredible programming, across multiple genres! ITVX’s Dramas have had a huge month, with over 108m streams across the genre throughout January. Mr Bates vs The Post Office has been streamed 22m times, After The Flood has seen 20m streams, and since its series 2 launch on Sunday 28th January, Trigger Point has already had 9m streams across both series.   ⚡Controversially, Love Island All Stars, may have been the kicker the series needed to get fans re-engaged! Previous series’ have seen peaks of around 2m viewers on live viewing, and the 2022 series peaked at 1.7m live and streaming combined! While live viewing on ITV2 remains around the 2m mark, throughout the month of January, the average episode on ITVX has been streamed 2.3m times (amounting to 43m in total!).    If you’re interested in seeing how we could make VoD work for you, please get in touch with our team! #videoondemand #advertisingagency #mediaplanning #mediabuying ITV (📷 : Antonio Guillem / Shutterstock)

From The Guardian: When she joined ITV the broadcaster’s market capitalisation stood at £7.25bn, a far cry from the sub-£2.5bn levels investors have stubbornly valued the company at despite McCall’s best efforts. The streaming era has ingrained in investors – and potential buyers – the belief that traditional TV viewing will remain in a downward spiral and that broadcasters such as ITV will not be able to sufficiently transform their businesses to exploit the digital age. “McCall came in post-Brexit and ahead of Covid, against the backdrop of streamers getting bigger and bigger,” says Alex DeGroote, a #media and #tech analyst. “There have been a number of headwinds; anyone would have struggled. Has this been a successful period for shareholders and other stakeholders? The jury is still out. I don’t see a quick fix to the problem.” However, ITV’s low share price, coupled with renewed interest in the growing success of its TV production arm, has once again raised in City circles the potential solution of the UK’s biggest commercial public service broadcaster being broken up. Last month, ITV’s share price surged after a report of potential bid interest brewing from private equity giant CVC Capital Partners, French broadcaster Groupe TF1, Redbird IMI, which recently acquired Traitors-maker All3Media for £1.2bn, and production group Mediawan, which bought a controlling stake in Brad Pitt’s Plan B Entertainment two years ago. Liberty Global, ITV’s biggest shareholder with a 9.9% stake, has also long been touted as ultimately looking to take ITV private. While traditional TV audiences remain in overall decline, the insatiable demand for high-end content has focused attention on ITV Studios, which McCall has for years argued is unjustifiably undervalued by investors. In 2021, McCall embarked on a five-year plan to exploit the surge in demand for expensive, prestige #TV shows from #streaming platforms, on top of commissions such as Line of Duty for the BBC and its funnel of in-house shows such as I’m a Celebrity …, Coronation Street and Love Island. The fruits of this plan – which will help ITV Studios to record profits this year despite dented revenue from the #Hollywood actors’ and writers’ strikes – include the adaptation of Jilly Cooper’s bestseller Rivals for The Walt Disney Company+ and the global Netflix hit Fool Me Once. ITV has been the focus of takeover and breakup talk for decades. Long-term investors still rue the missed opportunity of the £4.7bn takeover bid in 2006 that would have seen it ultimately become part of Virgin Media, a deal thwarted by the then Sky chief James Murdoch who took a blocking stake. The content arm of ITV has been cited as the jewel in the crown, possibly worth as much as £1.5bn based on the broadcaster’s market value, and the sale price achieved by All3Media.

Rise of streaming widens gaps between show seasons Delays in TV show releases on streaming platforms are linked to the ambition for cinematic quality and the integration of film industry practices. This has led to longer production times and delayed renewals, impacting viewer retention. However, there is a movement towards more traditional TV production schedules, with shows like "The Pitt" aiming for annual releases to build consistent audience engagement.  https://lnkd.in/gGnRvnJA

Peak of 5.5 million tune in for Sunak v Starmer: The ITV Debate Leaders’ Debate, Love Island and Lionesses secure ITV massive 71% share of 16-34s Sunak v Starmer: The ITV Debate last night drew in a peak of 5.5 million viewers (average 5m) across devices, an increase of almost 2 million viewers on the Conservative Prime Minister debate in 2022. The combination of the leaders’ debate on ITV1, Love Island on ITV2 and the Lioness football qualifier (England vs France) on ITV4 secured ITV a huge 71% share across 16-34 year old viewers. The ITV debate was also the biggest Current Affairs audience on any channel since last year’s King’s Coronation, and the biggest on ITV since Oprah’s interview with Meghan and Harry in 2021. The ITV Election Interviews, presented by Anushka Asthana, which followed the debate on ITV1 and ITVX was watched by 1.3m with a peak of 2.6m. It was the best performance in the slot this year and up on the slot average by 52%.

FREELY, MADLY, DEEPLY: BRITISH BROADCASTERS COLLABORATING (AT LONG LAST) It's interesting and resonant to see the launch of Freely today, the new #streaming service from Everyone TV backed by BBC, ITV, Channel 4 & Channel 5. It involves various of my former C4 colleagues including CEO Jonathan Thompson, Sarah Milton and James Tatam. For the first time viewers can switch between live and on-demand #TV from all the main UK #broadcasters simply and gratis. It offers features like pause and restart, and gives access to additional episodes for free (the clue's in the name). All that's required is a WiFi connection, no dish or aerial. The idea is to offer "a single, unified platform" centred on British TV. It has been billed as "the first time all four of Britain’s public service broadcasters have come together to launch a streaming proposition" - but that's not strictly true. 16 years ago 'Project Kangaroo' bounced onto the scene. It was the secret working title for a #VOD platform combining content from BBC Worldwide, ITV and C4. However Kangaroo fell at the fence of the UK Competition Commission (now Competition & Markets Authority) in 2009. That was arguably the nail in the coffin of UK TV. It was the moment we could have competed against Netflix (just a year old at the time) and the emerging international #streamers. It was perhaps the one time we coulda been contenders. “You don’t understand! I coulda had class. I coulda been a contender, I could’ve been somebody, instead of a bum, which is what I am.” (Elia Kazan’s classic 'On the Waterfront' has just been re-released in UK cinemas to mark its 70th anniversary.) The Competition Competition looked at the parochial UK situation instead of the Big Picture and in their folly probably killed (certainly severely wounded) the Little Screen in this country. It's still playing out now all these years later. BritBox was a pretty lame attempt to fill the Kangaroo void. ITV and BBC Studios founded this would-be global streaming service in 2017 as a joint venture to showcase British entertainment (original scripted and factual shows, co-pros, etc.) to international audiences. Last month we heard that ITV has sold its 50% stake in BritBox International to partner BBC Studios for £255M, probably a sign that the partners' imperatives had evolved in somewhat different directions. So it's arguable that Freely is 16 years too late. But I hope otherwise and wish them the best of British... #television #globalTV

The latest viewership data reveals a significant surge in UK Oscars viewing on ITV1 and ITVX, with the "I'm Just a Ken Moment" dominating the screen. I find this trend fascinating and indicative of shifting viewer preferences and engagement patterns. The tripling of viewership on ITV1 and ITVX underscores the enduring appeal of live events and premium content, especially in the era of digital streaming. This spike in Oscars viewership not only highlights the power of compelling storytelling and captivating moments but also underscores the importance of multi-platform distribution strategies in reaching diverse audiences. From an analytics standpoint, this uptick in viewership presents valuable insights into audience behavior and content consumption habits. It reflects a growing appetite for immersive, shared viewing experiences that unite audiences across traditional linear channels and digital platforms. Looking ahead, it will be intriguing to see how broadcasters and streaming services capitalize on this momentum to further enhance their content offerings and engagement strategies. The Oscars success on ITV1 and ITVX sets a promising precedent for the future of televised events and underscores the enduring relevance of broadcast television in the evolving media landscape. #ITV #Oscars #Viewership #Broadcast #Streaming #Content #Analytics #Engagement #Trends #MediaIndustry

This article dives into how streaming platforms are bringing back the love for procedural dramas, especially those set in hospitals and legal settings. As someone who creates content, I'm fascinated by how these classic TV genres are making a comeback and changing the streaming game. Procedural dramas have always been a favorite on TV, with their episodic format and gripping storylines. Now, with the popularity of streaming services, these genres are gaining new fans and bringing back old ones. It also explores why this trend is happening, from viewers wanting comforting shows to the success of recent procedural hits. The structured nature of these genres is also a timeless draw for audiences. Streaming platforms are jumping on this trend by creating new procedural shows and snagging the rights to old favorites. In my opinion, it's crucial to keep up with industry trends. The resurgence of procedural dramas opens up exciting possibilities for storytelling and engaging with viewers. By understanding what's driving this trend, creators can adjust their strategies to meet the growing demand for procedural content. #Streaming #ProceduralDramas #ContentTrends #AudienceEngagement #Storytelling #TVIndustry"

In the latest episode of COMMERCIAL CONNECT, Bethany Wren and Ellie Nicholl from LawCareers.Net sit down to discuss some recent business and commercial news stories, including interest rates, competing streaming services and TikTok. https://lnkd.in/dPv2xsgP #lawyers #podcast #commercialawareness

Since its launch on March 30, Netflix‘s ‘The Great Indian Kapil Show’ has been making waves, capturing the attention of viewers nationwide.... Read More At:- https://lnkd.in/g_FXQxrm Netflix #thegreatindiankapilshow #viewers #nationwide #ott #streaming #news #newsfeed #newsupdate #dailynews #ibwnews

Brilliant post about what could’ve should’ve been, how regulatory bodies can get it profoundly wrong when they listen to the wrong voices and how we’ve finally made it after many many years of trying!