ITV are launching a new channel.
ITVBe will offer UK and US lifestyle and reality shows and be the new home of ‘The Only Way Is Essex’ and the ‘Real Housewives’ franchise – which both currently broadcast on ITV2 – when it launches later this year on all major broadcasting platforms, including Freeview, Sky and Virgin Media.
Adam Crozier, Chief Executive of ITV, said:"ITVBe will be a terrific new addition to our family of channels. It reinforces our plan to maximise audiences and revenues from our broadcasting business. Alongside our recently-announced new pay channel ITV Encore, this is another important step forward in our strategy to become the most watched, most loved and most talked about family of free and pay channels for every household and every advertiser in the UK."
The new channel will mainly be targeted towards a female audience and is seen as a sister channel to ITV2.
Peter Fincham, Director of Television at ITV, said: "Expanding ITV’s family of channels to introduce a new free-to-air, female skewing channel focusing on entertainment and reality means our viewers will have access to even more great content. We identified an opportunity to develop what is currently part of the ITV2 schedule – reality and non-scripted shows, which are very popular with young women and housewives with kids – into a distinct channel proposition, aimed more squarely at that audience.
"ITV2 will continue to be the youngest channel in our portfolio, outside of CITV, and the strategy of bringing more scripted series, both acquired and commissioned, will continue apace, alongside panel shows, formats and other young skewing commissions."
ITV launching new channel
