ITV will conduct a trial which will charge online viewers for access to some video content. The proposal is to charge for access to content such as the channel's back catalogue of drama, and also for webisodes of soaps like Coronation Street.
Viewers who use ITV Player to catch up on weekly shows will not be subject to the new charge however. Adam Crozier, ITV chief executive, said the move is part of ITV's attempts to diversify its revenue stream.
ITV said its advertising revenue fell 6 percent in the three months to June 30, after rising 12 percent in the previous quarter, but it has reported a rise in pre-tax profits to £181 million (from £97 million) for the first six months of 2011.
At present, ITV is trying to establish what kind of content that users would be willing to pay for, and to work out the details on how to charge for the access (subscription fees, one-off-payments, pay per view etc.) The trial of a new system will start privately.
Written by: James Delahunty @ 28 Jul 2011 14:09
