[Scarlett.]

ITV is to expand its free-to-air family of channels with the launch of ITVBe, featuring the best entertaining lifestyle and reality programming from the UK and the US. From launch, ITVBe will become the exclusive home of ITV’s award winning series, The Only Way is Essex.

The new channel, which is likely to appeal to a younger, female audience, will also feature acquired content, including the US Real Housewives franchise, which currently airs in daytime on ITV2.

ITVBe, which will launch towards the end of the year, will be wholly funded by advertising and sponsorship, and will be available free on all the major broadcasting platforms, including Freeview, Sky and Virgin.

ITVBe will complement ITV2 which will continue to strengthen its position as the home of unashamed entertainment for 16-34 year olds, focusing on scripted series, irreverent panel shows and formats, and youth skewing commissions and acquisitions with bold humour at their heart.

The multi-award winning comedy Plebs, the second series of The Job Lot starring Russell Tovey and Sarah Hadland, and the hit panel show Celebrity Juice will air later this year on ITV2, alongside new comedy, drama and entertainment, acquired and commissioned, as well as other shows aimed at 16-34s from new genres, such as Release The Hounds.

Adam Crozier, Chief Executive of ITV, said:

“ITVBe will be a terrific new addition to our family of channels. It reinforces our plan to maximise audiences and revenues from our broadcasting business. Alongside our recently announced new pay channel ITV Encore, this is another important step forward in our strategy to become the most watched, most loved and most talked about family of free and pay channels for every household and every advertiser in the UK.”

Peter Fincham, Director of Television at ITV, said:

“Expanding ITV’s family of channels to introduce a new free-to-air, female skewing channel focusing on entertainment and reality means our viewers will have access to even more great content. We identified an opportunity to develop what is currently part of the ITV2 schedule - reality and non-scripted shows, which are very popular with young women and housewives with kids - into a distinct channel proposition, aimed more squarely at that audience. ITV2 will continue to be the youngest channel in our portfolio, outside of CITV, and the strategy of bringing more scripted series, both acquired and commissioned, will continue apace, alongside panel shows, formats and other young skewing commissions.”

Notes to Editors

The launch of ITVBe will see ITV’s family of channels expand to seven channels:

- Broad, mainstream programming in all genres on the main channel, ITV
- Entertainment for 16-34 year olds on ITV2
- Non-scripted, reality and lifestyle for a young and female audience on ITVBe
- Great storytelling and classic drama collections on ITV3
- Cult classics, acquisitions and sport on ITV4
- Children’s programming on CITV

ITV will also this year launch its first pay channel on Sky's platform, ITV Encore, which will be home to some of ITV’s most successful drama series of recent years together with original commissions from 2015.

Not particularly interested in the channel, but this gives me hope that ITV2 might finally become decent again.

[arista]

Guardian also claims it as Female Focused Ch


but thats wrong - I say ITVBe is for everyone


http://www.theguardian.com/media/201...y-way-is-essex

[arista]

"Not particularly interested in the channel, but this gives me hope that ITV2 might finally become decent again."



Yes ITV2 used to show the USA Late Show
the day after

[HD]

I'd rather have ITV2 +1 HD Jesus Christ On Demand

[Scarlett.]

I miss when ITV2 used to show decent movies and had good US imports, hopefully with ITVBe, the TOWIE crap will be throw over onto the new channel.

[reece(:]

Hope they show Survivor

[cheeky_monkey]

I don't watch TOWIE and will not be watching US Real Housewives.

I'm not interested in the channel. I don't watch much of ITV2 either.

[arista]

Originally Posted by cheeky_monkey

I don't watch TOWIE and will not be watching US Real Housewives.

I'm not interested in the channel. I don't watch much of ITV2 either.

They do not care

[cheeky_monkey]

Originally Posted by arista

They do not care

I don't care that they do not care.

[michael21]

Originally Posted by reece(:

Hope they show Survivor

that seem to be the type of show that will be on this channel is it shown on any uk tv channel

cant wait for this new channel on freeview

the bachelor & the bachelorette might also be on this new channel

[Black Dagger]

Originally Posted by reece(:

Hope they show Survivor

Yes pls.

[Jordan.]

**** name, what does the Be stand for?

[arista]

Originally Posted by Jordan.

**** name, what does the Be stand for?

Broadcast entertainment

[joe199998293]

Seems I'll be watching a lot of ITVBe then.

[arista]

Originally Posted by joe199998293

Seems I'll be watching a lot of ITVBe then.

At least its a Free Station

[Samm]

Plz show BBCA

[Headie]

They can show BBCA, BBUSA, Survivor, The Amazing Race and Bad Girls Club.

Not here for Towie. Not here for that at all.

[Matt]

Think 'lifestyle' and 'female' are the keywords here - gameshow reality formats such as Survivor and The Amazing Race don't particularly fit with that remit and there's zero chance that they'll show BBUS or BBCA as Channel 5 has the exclusive rights to Big Brother in the UK.

If they're importing American shows I think michael21's more on the money with things like The Bachelor(ette).

[Mystic Mock]

I don't mean to be funny or anything so I hope nobody thinks I'm being nasty here but the UK channels always cater towards the female demographic, why do we need a whole channel dedicated to one specific audience that gets a lot of programming catered to them on every other channel in the UK? Where is our grown up Sci-Fi? Comedies that are actually funny? Fantasy shows that aren't just created for kids? Horrors? I feel that the UK channels need to cater more towards other people instead of the same demographic every time, it's an embarrassment that are biggest shows that air in other countries are Eastenders, Downton Abbey (tbf never watched it but it still aims towards the female audience btw it advertises itself) and Coronation Street.

ITV should be making channels that aren't copies of every other channel in the UK but I guess that requires a brain which the ITV producers seem to lack.

[kirklancaster]

Originally Posted by The Mockinator

I don't mean to be funny or anything so I hope nobody thinks I'm being nasty here but the UK channels always cater towards the female demographic, why do we need a whole channel dedicated to one specific audience that gets a lot of programming catered to them on every other channel in the UK? Where is our grown up Sci-Fi? Comedies that are actually funny? Fantasy shows that aren't just created for kids? Horrors? I feel that the UK channels need to cater more towards other people instead of the same demographic every time, it's an embarrassment that are biggest shows that air in other countries are Eastenders, Downton Abbey (tbf never watched it but it still aims towards the female audience btw it advertises itself) and Coronation Street.

ITV should be making channels that aren't copies of every other channel in the UK but I guess that requires a brain which the ITV producers seem to lack.

Really valid points - totally agree.

[Saph]

omg I cant wait for this channel

[Gstar]

Originally Posted by Saph

omg I cant wait for this channel

I'm here for RHOA season 6 taking over the UK

[Joelle.]

So what exactly are they going to have left to show on ITV2 then?

[reece(:]

Originally Posted by Juan_Sheet

So what exactly are they going to have left to show on ITV2 then?

Judge Judy and those flop Been Framed shows

[michael21]

We've said that shows like Lorraine, This Morning and Loose Women are popular but many potential viewers miss them as they are on in daytime," says Locke. "However, they could run [on ITVBe] again in the evening.

http://www.theguardian.com/media/201...-encore-itv-be

this is bad news look like a repeat channel

let hope there get new reality shows from usa