ITVBe sets launch date

UK commercial broadcaster ITV has revealed the launch date for its female-skewing channel ITVBe.

The network, which will showcase lifestyle and reality programming from the UK and US, will launch on October 8.

ITVBe, which was announced in February, will become the exclusive home of ITV’s The Only Way Is Essex. It will also feature acquired content, including the US Real Housewives franchise, which currently airs in daytime on youth-skewing channel ITV2.

The launch of ITVBe will see ITV’s family of channels expand to seven: ITV1, ITV2, ITV3, ITV4, CiTV and drama network ITV Encore which launched earlier this year.

The new channel will be available free on all the major broadcasting platforms, including Freeview, Sky and Virgin.

More details of the schedule will be confirmed closer to launch date, as well as confirmation of ITVBe’s EPG slot.