ITV continues to expand its channel offering with the announcement that ITVBe will launch on October 8th. The new free to air channel will be available on all major broadcasting platforms including Freeview, Sky and Virgin.
ITVBe is aimed at a younger female audience, with programming that includes lots of non-scripted, reality and lifestyle shows.
Significantly, ITVBe will become the exclusive home of ITV’s award winning series The Only Way is Essex, which will move over from ITV2 and air in peak time on ITVBe. Other ITV2 shows moving to the new channel include Mark Wright’s Hollywood Nights, 60 Minute Makeover and the original series of Dinner Date. Acquired American series The Real Housewives franchise, Millionaire Matchmaker, The Batchelor, I Wanna Marry Harry and Jeremy Kyle in the USA will also feature on the channel.
ITV recently announced some original commissions for ITVBe which include Seven Days With… (a reality series giving a unique insight into celebrity couples’ lives), Baby Wears Prada (focusing on the lengths some people go to spoiling their children), and The Real Housewives of Cheshire (same format as the USA version but focusing on Cheshire).
The new channel launch sees ITV’s family of channels extending to 7, following the launch of ITV Encore on June 9th (ITV1, ITV2, ITV3, ITV4, CITV, ITV Encore and ITVBe).
MEC Comment
The launch of a young female biased channel is an attractive prospect for viewers and advertisers, and the decision to move ITV2’s flagship show, The Only Way is Essex, to ITVBe demonstrates ITV’s commitment to making this new channel a success.
As ever, programming content is key and ITV must ensure that ITVBe doesn’t cannibalize audience from ITV2 now that TOWIE (ITV2’s highest rating programme) is moving to a brand new channel.
