ITVX launches new content campaign
September 15, 2023
Following on from the successful launch of ITVX in December 2022, this week sees a brand new content campaign for the platform launch across ITV’s owned channels, as well as large format OOH, print/ advertorial, audio and digital publishers.
From January to June this year, ITVX attracted more viewers with monthly active users (MAU’s) up 29 per cent year on year to 12.5 million and up 19 per cent since year end. The new service is also attracting light viewers, its target audience, with viewing in that specific demo up 93 per cent across the first six months in 2023.
And viewers are staying on ITVX for longer with streaming hours up 33 per cent to 737 million hours and a 22 per cent increase in dwell time in the same period. Plus, 86 per cent of those viewers who came into ITVX to watch an exclusive went on to watch other great content on the platform in the first six months of this year.
ITVX currently offers 23,000 hours and counting. It showcases a mix of original and acquired programming, as well as unexpected, surprising and brand new content for ITV.
The breadth of shows featured in the new campaign, which play on the ‘X’ symbol, include Golden Globe-winning rom-com drama Jane the Virgin, “X-pecting Virgins”; fantasy adventure film Reign of Assassins, “X-quisite Sword Handling”; critically acclaimed political mockumentary sitcom Parks and Recreation, “X-cessive Bureaucracy” and sci-fi series Cowboy Bebop, “X-tragalactic Bounty Hunters”.
The campaign will consist of a 20 and 30 second promo across all of ITV’s suite of channels with 1,200 TVRs plus owned socials, as well as large format OOH and disruptive print executions in The Guardian, The Times, the Daily Mail and Metro. There will be a large OOH motion takeover at Waterloo station, radio coverage across Capital, Classic, Radio X, Heart and Smooth, as well as a Spotify podcast partnership and TikTok content creator activation. Finally, there will be disruptive Deliveroo media presence in those decision making moments.
Jane Stiller, Chief Marketing Officer ITV said: “ITVX was the most successful new UK streaming launch last year and impressively over 90 per cent of the UK population is now already aware of the platform. No mean feat for the team here at ITV. As ITVX success continues we want to constantly demonstrate how we are an unmissable and core streaming platform within the market, and for users to experience how we are a destination to discover the freshest content. ITVX has an ever-changing wealth and breadth of content, which will no doubt surprise and delight users alongside a consistent drumbeat of big, live and noisey exclusives such as the Rugby World Cup Live 2023 currently. Later this Autumn, we have the launch of Big Brother – including footage from the house being live streamed into the small hours every night only on ITVX – and we’re also the brand new UK home of The Oscars next year.”
ITV Creative, Joaquin & Bailey, added: “This campaign was a big challenge for us. ITV is a huge institution in the UK, so how can you change people’s perception about something they think they know very well? But the truth is that ITVX’s content is surprisingly diverse, with loads of shows you wouldn’t expect. So this campaign proves just that, by introducing some of those shows in a surprising way.”