UK - ITV Player to launch on PlayStation 3

Broadcaster steps up multi-platform distribution of the ITV Player

ITV plc (LSE:ITV) today announced a deal to make the ITV Player available on Sony’s PlayStation®3 (PS3™) consoles by the end of 2010.

The deal, the first of its kind with a UK commercial broadcaster, will see the ITV Player made available to internet connected Sony PS3’s and is part of a wider strategy to roll out the highly successful ITV Player to platforms beyond itv.com – including games consoles, TV- and mobile- based devices.

Launched in July 2007 on itv.com, the ITV Player gives viewers the opportunity to catch up on favourite ITV programmes which they may have missed or want to watch again, up to 30 days from the original time of transmission. In 2009, long and short-form video views on ITV.com, across all programme genres, more than doubled year-on-year reaching 200m.

The ITV Player on PS3 will be free and ad-funded with pre-, mid- and post- roll video ads being sold and served by ITV. PS3 users will be prompted to implement a software update the first time they turn their consoles on after launch at which point an icon will appear in the TV section of the main navigational menu. They will then be able to click through to an ITV Player service.

The ITV Player also offers brand owners one of the UK’s leading, measurable, online routes to market around high quality content.

Fru Hazlitt, Managing Director of Commercial and Online, ITV said: “Our viewers want the option to watch their favourite content when and where they choose so distributing the ITV Player, with our rich content, to platforms beyond itv.com will allow us to meet that demand. We’re really excited that they will soon be able to access the ITV Player on demand through the PS3 platform.”