ITV is to scrap the ITV Player TV service and ITV.com and launch a new online hub that will be the home for live streaming of its TV networks and on-demand services.
The new service, called ITV Hub, follows in the footsteps of a similar revamp by Channel 4, which saw 4oD replaced with All 4 and is also in response to the development of the BBC iPlayer.
ITV said that it will launch the new service later this year with live streaming at the heart of ITV Hub, to make a more compelling viewing experience across mobile, PC and internet connected TV.
The broadcaster said that it would also make its programming available for the first time on Amazon’s Fire TV service, as well as on Freeview Play, the IPTV service that will launch next month to take on Sky’s Now TV and YouView.
“Our video-on-demand service has come of age, with live TV at the core of our proposition,” said Paul Kanareck, director of online at ITV.
ITV says that over 30% of its online usage across PC and mobile devices comes from viewers watching live TV streams, not catch-up content.
Kanareck said that the ITV’s online service has more than 11 million registered users and had 726m requests for programmes last year.
ITV will also make new episodes of Seth MacFarlane’s Family Guy and American Dad available on ITV Hub – in line with the shows’ launch on ITV2 later this year – claiming a first for a public service broadcaster.
BBC3 used to air Family Guy but was unable to offer it on the iPlayer despite holding the digital rights due to a dispute with rights holder Twentieth Century Fox.
