News releases 2008
News releases
ITV programming now available on the iTunes Store
22/04/2008
ITV today announced that a selection of its award-winning programming is now available for purchase or download from the iTunes Store in the UK (www.itunes.com/uk) . iTunes customers can now choose from over 260 hours of ITV programming, including series “Lewis” and “Cold Feet”, the award-winning classic “Brideshead Revisited”, ITV drama “Goodnight Mr Tom” and Gerry Anderson’s vintage classic “Captain Scarlet”. Additional programming will follow throughout the year, including “Inspector Morse”, “The Prisoner, “The Saint” and the adaptations of Jane Austen's “Northanger Abbey” and “Emma”.
All shows can be purchased from £1.89 per episode and then viewed on a Mac or PC, iPod with video, iPhone or on a widescreen TV with Apple TV. Shows will also be available to purchase as complete series.
Dawn Airey, Managing Director of ITV Global Content said:
“We want to give viewers the opportunity to watch their favourite shows wherever they are. ITV has thousands of hours of classic content in the archive which we are bringing to a whole new audience via iTunes. Our strategy is to deliver 360 degree value for our content on multiple platforms, and in multiple territories, and our partnership with Apple is a demonstration that we are delivering on that strategy.”
The deal was brokered by Steve Gallant, Publishing Director at Granada Ventures, part of ITV Worldwide. Granada Ventures has secured a number of DTO deals this year resulting in over 300 films from the ITV DVD catalogue being made available via online movie download services such as filmon.com, lovefilm.com and vizumi.com.
The iTunes deal is the first ITV has agreed that to include non-film programming. The deal builds on the successful launch of ITV’s broadband service, ITV.com, which has delivered 38 million videos since August last year. ITV has also announced a number of online deals in the past months including the ‘Kangaroo’ service with the BBC and Channel 4, launching later this year, and a partnership with Bebo to deliver premium ITV content to their community of 40 million users worldwide. Ends.
For further enquiries please contact:
ITV plc
Tel: 0844 8818000
Press queries
Andrew Sholl – Head of Press, ITV Global Content
Tel: 084488 18293
Alice Burden – PR Manager, Granada Ventures
Tel: 020 7389 8609
Investor queries
Christy Swords – Director of Investor Relations
Tel: 084488 15651
Pippa Strong – Head of Investor Relations
Tel: 0844 8814767
Tulchan Communications Group
Tel: 020 7353 4200
Andrew Grant
Susanna Voyle
Lizzie Morgan
Website: www.itv.com , investor information:
www.itvplc.com
ITV Global Content
ITV Global Content is ITV’s content division bringing together all of ITV’s UK and international production and distribution businesses: ITV Productions, the soon-to-be-merged Granada International and Granada Ventures and international production companies in the US, Germany and Australia. In 2007 ITVGC acquired entertainment quiz format producer 12 Yard and took equity stakes in UK and US drama producers Mammoth Screen and Jaffe/Braunstein Entertainment respectively.
ITV Productions is one of Europe’s leading commercial production companies, producing more than 3,000 hours of original programming each year, including some of the most popular shows on UK television, such as Coronation Street, Emmerdale, I’m a Celebrity and Dancing On Ice. ITV also produces programming for other broadcasters, such as The Street for the BBC, Brainiac for Sky and Countdown and Come Dine with Me for Channel 4. Outside the UK, ITV has had considerable success producing international versions of hit formats, including Hell’s Kitchen in the US, Dancing On Ice in Australia, and local versions of I’m A Celebrity and Come Dine with Me in Germany.
ITV Worldwide brings together the company’s sales, distribution and licensing businesses. Granada International sells programming and formats from ITV Productions and independent producers worldwide and represents the largest and most prestigious British feature film collection in the world, comprising of more than 1,500 titles from the likes of Alfred Hitchcock and David Lean. Granada Ventures is a major distributor of DVD entertainment in the UK and exploits merchandising and licensing in the UK and worldwide from both ITV-produced programmes and other rights owners.