The new ITV PLC (LSE:ITV) streaming service, ITVX, has boosted the number of hours watched on its websites by over 50% as users flocked to the free platform, or 29% if the recent Qatar World Cup was excluded.
Streaming hours were up 55% between 8 December and 7 January, compared to the same period last year, while online user figures increased by 65%, ITV said in a statement, adding that it has “landed really well” with advertisers.
Chief executive Carolyn McCall said the numbers included “many new viewers", acknowledging that the World Cup “has been an important part” of the growth.
“Excluding the football, our underlying streaming viewing during the month was up 29% year on year and we continue to see strong year on year growth in January,” she said.
ITVX, which replaced the previous ITV Hub platform, offers some 15,000 hours’ worth of programmes for free, according to the broadcaster, while users can also tune in to live TV.
ITV replaced the old service last month, alongside securing a new deal with Warner Bros. for its shows to be added to the platform, in a rejig which seems to be proving so far so good.
Prior to ITVX’s release, ITV saw its weekly viewing share hit a 20-year peak of 30%, as former-health secretary Matt Hancock battled in the final of I’m A Celebrity and England played the USA in the World Cup.
Driven by the likes of Netflix Inc (NASDAQ:NFLX), Disney+ and Amazon Prime, global streaming services experienced a boom during the Covid-19 pandemic, with viewership rising the equivalent of five years of projected growth, according to PwC.
Growth has since slowed though without lockdowns keeping people at home, suggested the professional service brand, but figures will remain “strong” for the foreseeable future.
Streaming services made progress towards becoming the UK’s most popular entertainment category, but still sit behind video games according to recent entertainment and retail data, with sector revenues up some 17.6% to £3.85bn between 2021 and 2022.