ITV strikes partnership deal with YouTube

The UK broadcaster has agreed a new distribution and commercial deal which will see ITV join YouTube’s partner programme. 

ITV’s commercial team will sell advertising opportunities around ITV content on YouTube, including programmes made in-house by ITV Studios and commissioned by ITV.

ITV said that the move is designed to maximise the reach and viewing opportunities for its shows across a range of viewing environments alongside all its TV channels and streaming platform ITVX.

ITV is the latest UK broadcaster to embrace YouTube as a platform as viewers increasingly migrate online. Channel 4 has been airing content such as Hollyoaks on YouTube since 2023.

ITV will make full episodes of shows available across all genres including I’m A Celebrity, The Masked Singer, YouBet!, An Audience With Kylie and its soaps. The broadcaster said it will grow the content available over the coming months.

Genre-based channels including ITV News and ITVSport will be developed alongside channels for ITVDaytime shows including This Morning and Loose Women and broader show-specific offerings such as Love Island or I’m A Celebrity.

In addition, ITV will create and develop clips, compilations and fan content around its most popular brands specially tailored for the YouTube audience.

ITV Studios’ new digital content label Zoo 55  will manage ITV and ITV Studios YouTube presence and ITV’s commercial team will be selling advertising around ITV Studios’ channels in the UK including The Graham Norton Show, Hells Kitchen, The Voice Global and natural history focused channel, Our World. 

ITV is also launching a dedicated YouTube sales team within ITV Commercial led by Abul Noor, who joins ITV from Channel 4 in a newly created role as Head of YouTube Sales.

Kevin Lygo, Managing Director, ITV Media and Entertainment, said: “This partnership is part of our continuing strategic approach to maximise reach and viewing opportunities for audiences, wherever they choose to watch, alongside the successful and thriving ITVX, and our market leading commercial TV channels."

Kelly Williams, Managing Director, ITV Commercial, said: “Working with YouTube provides our advertisers with even more ways to engage with audiences in premium brand-safe content from the nation’s best-loved TV shows, with a wide selection of targeting options.