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As audiences move online, we will move with them.
ITV’s online operations include the itv.com website and video on demand services on cable television and other ‘closed’ platforms. itv.com delivers ITV programming and clips to internet users via ITV Player, funded by online advertising and sponsorship.
Online revenues, (excluding Friends Reunited), increased in 2010 by 17% to £28 million. Within Online ITV’s focus is to improve navigation and the viewing experience in order to cultivate a richer, deeper relationship between ITV and its viewers. In addition, we will maximise the reach of our video on demand service, ITV Player, making the service available on new platforms. ITV player launched on PS3 at the end of 2010 and is set to launch on Android and the iphone in the first half of 2011. We are also working on plans to launch ITV player on Freesat and YouView. Futher to this, we will start to undertake pay trials on itv.com in 2011 and are developing a payment mechanism to enable us to do this.
In 2010, itv.com made progress with unique users averaging 10.2 million per month, an increase of 17% year-on-year. Online video viewing of ITV programming has also continued to grow rapidly. Including catch-up and short form clips, video views across the year on itv.com totalled 234 million, up 9% from 2009. Long-form views were up 79% at 129m.
At the end of 2010 Robin Pembrooke joined ITV as Managing Director of Online and On Demand.