ITV in talks for mobile catch-up app
June 11, 2010
ITV is in talks with Apple, Blackberry and Google's Android team about launching an ITV Player mobile app, which would allow users to catch up on the broadcaster's content any time and anywhere.
It will be the first app to be released from a major UK broadcaster allowing TV catch-up on the most popular mobile devices, beating both the BBC and Channel 4. The BBC iPlayer and Channel 4's 4onDemand service are both available via mobile browsers – but have yet to launch dedicated TV catch-up apps. The BBC Trust is considering whether the corporation should be permitted to launch dedicated news and sports mobile apps, following representations it had received from the media industry, claiming the apps would 'distort' the market.
The ITV Player app, which the TV company is hoping will be live in each smartphone's respective app store by the beginning of September, will have a small initial charge but will be funded by ongoing advertising.