Huge blow for Sky customers as ITV confirms it’s blocking some content from TVs

ITV is making some massive modifications to its streaming service and it is unhealthy information for anybody who watches content material through platforms like Sky Q and Virgin TV 360. That is as a result of ITV plans to cut back the variety of exhibits that might be obtainable exterior of its ITV Hub streaming app – which means there might be much less alternative on some set-top bins.

Though Sky has a variety of on-demand apps, together with BBC iPlayer, preinstalled on its Sky Q units, there is no ITV Hub app obtainable proper now. When the change takes impact, it means Sky Q viewers will now not be capable to entry dozens of latest collection from ITV which might be being broadcast on-line forward of a basic launch. Virgin Media clients are a little bit luckier as TV 360 bins do have entry to ITV Hub, however viewers might want to begin loading up the app each time they need to watch a present from ITV – reasonably than simply discovering it from the primary menu.

The overhaul is designed to spice up the variety of folks watching through the ITV Hub app, which might be changed with a flashier new service – ITV X – later this 12 months. ITV can even add hundreds extra hours of content material to its streaming service, rising from 4,000 to six,000 hours of boxsets to observe at no cost on the advert-supported service.

Explaining why it is determined to take away on-demand content material from Sky Q bins, a spokesperson for ITV stated: “ITV has taken the strategic determination to cut back the provision of pre-transmission drama drops and field units exterior of its personal streaming providers, comparable to on Sky and Virgin, the place we can’t serve and monetise dynamic promoting.

“Subsequently, this determination doesn’t cut back current revenues. Over time and with the launch of ITVX we anticipate that we’ll see this viewing transfer to ITV’s streaming providers and be extra successfully monetised. The transitional affect of this determination has been the overriding driver of a 7 p.c discount in whole streaming hours within the quarter, throughout all platforms.”

Though Sky Q customers look like getting much less content material, the modifications will not have an effect on clients of Sky Glass or those that have a Stream Puck machine of their properties as these devices each embrace an ITV Hub app.

It is presently unclear precisely what exhibits or boxsets will turn into unavailable exterior of the ITV Hub app, however Categorical.co.uk has approached ITV, Sky and Virgin Media for touch upon this shift.

As we talked about earlier, there are much more modifications coming to ITV’s on-line providers later this 12 months with the launch of ITV X. The brand new streaming app will exchange the ITV Hub platform with new exhibits debuting each week – a bit like Netflix.

These full boxsets might be obtainable to stream months earlier than their broadcast on terrestrial channels. This determination is designed to make sure the improve from ITV Hub to ITV X is “a transfer from a catch-up service to a full-blown streaming service,” ITV advised advertisers.

ITV X might be obtainable to observe at no cost though there even be an optionally available paid-for subscription tier that may take away all adverts when watching exhibits and movies on-demand. It is thought ITV X will arrive earlier than the FIFA World Cup later this 12 months.