ITV3 To Launch As Free-To-Air Offering In November

ITV has today revealed that its new digital channel for older viewers, ITV3, will launch in November as a free-to-air offering showcasing Hollywood movies and classic dramas such as Cold Feet and Inspector Morse.

It is thought that ITV’s third mainstream channel, targeting upmarket viewers over the age of 35 with an appetite for drama, will be broadcast on Freeview, BSkyB’s proposed free-to-air satellite offering and cable.

ITV’s director of programmes, Nigel Pickard, claims the channel will be the home of classic drama and movies, with a line-up of programmes designed to appeal to a wide-ranging audience. Schedules will include repeats of popular shows like The Bill, Heart Beat and The Royal, as well and new commissions and behind the scenes exposés of major ITV dramas.

The digital offering will also showcase movies twice weekly, beginning with a special ‘Western Season’ featuring The Magnificent Seven and The Good, The Bad & The Ugly. There will also be Hollywood hits such as A Fish Called Wanda and The Colour of Money.

ITV3 will act as a complementary service to existing digital station ITV2, which focuses on 16 to 34-year-olds with a mix of soap storyline extensions from Emmerdale and Coronation Street, Champions League football and reality-TV hits such as I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here!.

Commenting on the launch, ITV3 channel editor, Steve Arnell, said: “With an impressive line up of classic and contemporary dramas, major Hollywood hits, top US dramas and new commissions, ITV3 should quickly become a firm favourite with the multi channel viewer and join ITV2 as a top rating entertainment channel.”

The decision to launch ITV3 as a free-to-air offering ends months of speculation that it would be a pay-TV service along the same lines as E4. The move could come as something of a blow to BSkyB, which would have used ITV3 to help grow its pay-TV platform, rather than free-to-air digital service Freeview.

ITV was planning to unveil dedicated digital channel for children later this year as part of a new package to boost its multichannel presence. However, reports suggest the launch has been shelved, with ITV planning instead to open up its schedules to Nickelodeon or Disney in return for a CiTV brand slot on either of their channels (see ITV Scraps Plans To Launch Digital Channel For Kids).

ITV: 020 7843 8000 www.itv.com

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