Connected

ITV seems to be betting the bank on a new 'product', ITVX, as an all-encompassing landing point for ITV content. On the back of good pandemic profits, it's investing £45m to launch the platform, which will carry ITV-produced and ITV-bought programmes way before traditional broadcast dates, and users can choose to watch for free, with ads, or via subscription, without ads. 

It seems to be a replacement for the much-derided ITV Hub, but also seems to subsume Britbox - with no mention so far on what happens to the BBC's content on that SVOD offer. Britbox lost £61m last year (apparently in line with expectations) while ITV revenue overall was up 24%. 

It's the other side of the ITV broadcast shift to live magazine shows, soaps and news. Within ITVX, programmes will also be organised into streamed channels, such as all-day episodes of The Chase, and The Oxford Detectives, offering Morse in all his forms.