ITN revamps YouTube presence with archive-led channels

ITN’s YouTube presence includes channels such as Frontline, focusing on modern history

UK-based production and broadcast journalism company ITN has launched two archive-led YouTube channels and refreshed several existing ones as part of a wider push to grow subscriptions through YouTube Memberships.

ITN described the move as a major expansion and repositioning of its YouTube presence, with three genre-led channels built around its 70-year archive. The three channels are Frontline by ITN, Flashback by ITN and Re-Told by ITN.

As part of the move, the existing ITN Archive channel will be rebranded as Frontline by ITN, sitting alongside two newly created channels: Flashback by ITN and Re-Told by ITN.

Frontline by ITN will focus on conflict and global affairs, offering audiences curated, contextualised archive footage from some of the most significant moments in modern history.

Frontline will be ITN’s first channel to introduce YouTube Memberships, giving users the opportunity to directly support the digitisation and preservation of ITN’s archive while helping to shape future content releases.

Flashback by ITN will celebrate defining moments from popular culture, while Re-Told by ITN will explore everyday life and social history through the ITN archive.

Across the channels, ITN’s digital team will experiment with formats that use the best of the archive for a digital-first audience, the company said.

The initiative is the first direct-to-consumer channel launch from ITN Productions’ new digital team, led by George Cudmore, as it seeks to build long-term audience engagement around archive content. The team has also refreshed The Royal Family Channel, as well as Onlooker, formerly ODN, and Pop Drop, formerly ODE.

Cudmore, director of digital at ITN, said: “These new channels will help to unlock the full potential of the archive in a way that reflects how audiences discover and engage with content today. By creating distinct channel identities and introducing Memberships, we’re building a sustainable model that supports ongoing digitisation and growth.”

Rubina Pabani, head of digital content at ITN, added: “We’re moving beyond simply hosting archive footage – we’re producing editorially curated destinations for audiences to explore, connect with and contribute to. This is an important step in building participatory communities around some of the most important historical footage ever captured.”

Mairi Brewis, head of media partnerships at YouTube UK, said: “We are delighted to see ITN’s channels Frontline, Flashback and Re-Told launching on YouTube, making ITN’s incredibly rich archive available to a new generation of audiences. This exciting development brings together ITN’s fantastic heritage of high-quality news coverage with an innovative, creative approach to reaching audiences in new ways and driving new forms of monetisation.”