ITV has announced a significant expansion of its digital strategy, forging a new distribution and commercial partnership with YouTube. This collaboration will see full episodes of some of ITV's most popular programming made available on the platform. The deal includes access to YouTube's partner program, enabling ITV's commercial team to sell advertising opportunities across its YouTube channels.
This strategic move aims to maximize viewer reach and engagement by diversifying its content delivery across various platforms. Alongside existing content on ITVX and its linear channels, a presence on YouTube will further strengthen ITV's position in the evolving media landscape. "Working with YouTube provides our advertisers with even more ways to engage with audiences in premium brand-safe content from the nation’s best loved TV shows, with a wide selection of targeting options," stated Kelly Williams, Managing Director, ITV Commercial.
The initial YouTube offering will encompass a wide range of genres, including sport, entertainment, documentaries, reality shows, daytime programming, and news, featuring popular titles like I’m A Celebrity, The Masked Singer, An Audience With Kylie, Olivia Marries Her Match, Ferne McCann: My Family & Me, Bullseye, You Bet! and its soap operas. ITV plans to continue expanding this content library in the coming months.
Genre-specific channels, including those dedicated to ITV News and ITV Sport, are in development, alongside channels featuring daytime shows like This Morning and Loose Women, and dedicated channels for popular shows such as Love Island or I’m A Celebrity. ITV has also established a dedicated YouTube sales team within ITV Commercial, headed by Abul Noor, newly appointed Head of YouTube Sales.
Advertisers will benefit from precise targeting capabilities, allowing them to tailor campaigns based on various factors such as specific programs, genres, viewer demographics, and device types. Alison Lomax, Managing Director, YouTube UK & Ireland, commented: “ITV is one of the UK’s most beloved TV broadcasters and is home to a hugely diverse range of content – from I’m A Celebrity to Bullseye. So we are thrilled to be strengthening our partnership, which will see hundreds of hours of programmes available on YouTube for the first time. Through full episodes, clips, compilations and brand-new fan content, audiences will be able to forge even deeper connections with the shows they love.”
Beyond full episodes, ITV will also produce and distribute clips, compilations, and fan-generated content specifically designed for YouTube, including seasonal uploads and previously unseen content from its extensive archives.