ITV, Virgin Media in Catch-Up TV Deal

LONDON, January 8: Virgin
Media has clinched a deal to make a range of programming from ITV available on
its on-demand and catch-up TV services.

The agreement gives the
British broadcaster its biggest potential on-demand audience, encompassing the
cable platform's 3.5 million subscribers. Virgin Media cable customers will be
able to access 40-plus programming hours each week from ITV1, 2, 3 and 4. Popular
shows such as Coronation Street
and Emmerdale will be offered
for seven days after being broadcast as part of Virgin Media's free Catch up TV
service. In addition, more than 500 hours of comedies, documentaries and dramas
will be ready for on-demand viewing through the TV Choice option on Virgin
Media's service. The on-demand offerings will include a selection of
high-definition fare from ITV. Plus, Virgin Media TV subscribers will be able
to watch ITV content online via their computers.

"ITV makes some of
the country's most loved TV programs so we're delighted to be able to offer so
many of them to our customers," said Malcolm Wall, the CEO of content at
Virgin Media. "We already have the largest and best collection of entertainment
available on demand and adding this vast amount of quality content will make
our TV offering even more compelling."

Ben McOwen Wilson, the
director of online at ITV, added: "Our ambition is make our content as
widely available for audiences. We are thrilled to be announcing this deal with
Virgin Media at a very exciting time for ITV. We know Virgin Media's customers
consume a lot of content on demand, and we are confident that with the massive
appetite and growth of on-demand content across our online sites during 2008
this deal will allow a new wave of viewers to enjoy our content; in a time when
the way our audiences watch TV continues to transform."

—By Mansha Daswani