ITV, AwesomenessTV Partner for Youth Strand

LONDON: A new strand of youth programming, under the banner of 2Awesome, is set for ITV2 and ITV Hub following a pact between the British broadcaster and AwesomenessTV.

2Awesome is a two-hour Sunday afternoon block on ITV2 for the exclusive British premieres of AwesomenessTV’s long-form premium series.The block launches on ITV2 January 8 with Guidance, Side Effects, Third Wheel, LA Story and Arts Academy.

Hosted by British presenters from both TV and social media, 2Awesome will also have a permanent home on the ITV Hub. Some AwesomenessTV shows will also premiere exclusively on the ITV Hub, beginning December 10 with season one of T@gged and then Freakish and Foursome. This will be the first time that ITV’s on-demand service will feature exclusive original series.

AwesomenessTV and ITV Studios are also joining forces to co-produce scripted and unscripted shows for ITV2, starting in 2017. ITV Studios Global Entertainment will represent these shows globally.

Simon Pitts, managing director of online, pay TV and interactive at ITV, said, “2Awesome is a really exciting development for ITV2 and the ITV Hub and the first step in our partnership with AwesomenessTV to produce, broadcast and distribute new shows for youth audiences. We can’t wait to launch our first exclusive series on the ITV Hub in December, followed in January by the initial 2Awesome run on ITV2 featuring new presenters and a whole slate of new shows, with plenty more to come throughout the year.”

Brian Robbins, founder and CEO of AwesomenessTV, added, “Our partnership with ITV is a wonderful opportunity to not only distribute our content but also create it together and extend our brand further in the U.K. I am looking forward to the launch of our series on the ITV platforms and continuing to grow the reach of our global audience.”