As ITV’s strategic technology partner for over ten years, we’ve worked with the leading global media provider from day one, from building the original mobile and tablet apps, through to continuing to transform the ITV Hub into a central destination for digital content consumption across browsers, connected TVs and mobile devices.
In the face of ferocious competition from the likes of Netflix, Disney+ and Amazon Prime, ITV needed to rapidly evolve the ITV Hub from what was once primarily a catch-up service to one that’s loved by millions of viewers as a destination for the discovery of brilliant content.
At the same time – with most of the country in lockdown for the first few months of 2021 before restrictions began to be lifted – there needed to be a recognition of the shifting viewing habits of the public as their circumstances changed.
Together with ITV, the Candyspace team set about transforming the experience of the platform across devices to deliver on their growth ambitions: drive up the number of users, increase the total number of hours of viewing and boost advertising revenues.
BUSINESS NEED
Deliver a world-class revenue generating VOD platform
CUSTOMER DEMAND
Watch ITV shows wherever, whenever, on any device
HERE ARE THE RESULTS
Keeping the nation entertained in 2021
| 127m | +14% | +17% |
| Hours watched | Monthly iOS users | Monthly Android users |
Creating a destination for content discovery
To help viewers find the content they love and discover new programmes, we implemented thematic collections and editorially-controlled sliders. We helped to surface more relevant content to users with the ‘Because you watched’ slider, which provides users with recommendations based on those they have watched previously.
In order to keep pace with the changing restrictions during lockdown, and with viewers back on the move, Candyspace aimed to create a redesigned interface that could be used with ease and on the go. The ‘Watch Live’ screen was redesigned and ‘Start Again’ was introduced on iOS, Android and tvOS so users could watch live content on demand as it aired or restart the programme if they missed the beginning, allowing them to watch the entirety of the programme within the app.
By integrating Google Play billing on the Android app and making it easier for current iOS subscribers to upgrade from a monthly to an annual pass, we made it simpler for users to subscribe to Hub+ and enjoy the benefit of downloadable content.
The MyITV section was redesigned to give users a clearer and easier way to access all their favourite shows, part-watched episodes and downloaded content. This allowed for content to be accessed on different platforms linked to the same account. An episode that had been started at home on TV could then be downloaded on a handheld device and watched on the commute back to the office.
“Candyspace deliver a high level of service, allowing ITVHub apps to grow inline with
business and customer expectations.”
STU JONES (HEAD OF PRODUCT – HUB & HUB+)
Generating revenue
ITV Hub has had its most successful year ever. Monthly active users grew by 19% on 2020. Online viewing at 630m hours was up 31% on 2020 and 25% on 2019, while advertising revenue was up 41% year on year.