ITV to launch TV micropayments in Jan, H1 up 4%
July 27, 2011
ITV has confirmed plans to launch its TV micropayment system in January, as the broadcaster forecasts an end to its summer advertising slump in September with television ad revenues expected to be “broadly flat”.
“Our pay mechanism will launch at the turn of the year; we have picked our partners,” said the ITV chief executive, Adam Crozier. “We are working on the consumer proposition, what people are prepared to pay for and what will work and won’t work.”
Crozier said ITV would probably run a number of different payment models in the first few months after the launch.
The broadcaster has been experimenting with different online viewing models with “register-to-view trials” for Champions League matches, Indian Premier League games, The Only Way is Essex and webisodes of Coronation Street.
ITV also said it intends to launch a range of pay systems for its online television service ITV Player.
Meanwhile, the broadcaster reported that total revenues were up 4 per cent year on year to £1.03 billion in the six months to the end of June. Within this the broadcasting and online division grew revenues by 3 per cent to £887 million.
Online revenues increased by 33 per cent year on year as the ITV Player recorded a 19 per cent increase in average monthly unique users and “long-form video views” – essentially whole TV shows watched via PC or handheld devices such as phones and tablets – rose 64 per cent to 180 million.