ITV Studios rolls out digital distribution label Zoo 55, hires WBITVP’s Martin Trickey as MD
Ruth Berry and Graham Haigh
MIPCOM: ITV Studios (ITVS) has revealed plans to extend its global digital media footprint with the launch of new label Zoo 55, to be led by Warner Bros International TV Production (WBITVP) executive Martin Trickey.
Appointed to the role of MD at Zoo 55, he will start work at ITVS in January, reporting to Ruth Berry, president of global partnerships and Zoo 55. Graham Haigh, currently exec VP digital at ITVS, will work alongide Trickey as chief operating officer.
At a press breakfast here in Cannes this morning, Berry told C21 the new label has been in the works for around four years, with ITVS seeing the potential of taking more brands into the digital realm – YouTube in particular, alongside social media, FAST channels and streaming platforms.
“The Zoo 55 model is about looking at how we publish our content into YouTube and build that,” said Berry. “It’s quite a different type of distribution to the traditional licensing model that we’ve been operating very well for many years. I think it’s perfectly timed; this is the modern evolution of distribution.
“With Martin and Graham, I’m hoping I’ve landed a dream team. Martin has built up the YouTube and social business across Warner’s portfolio of content and brings that level of experience to us. I think he brings a creative production lens to the role which will partner perfectly with Graham, who’s a brilliant operator.”
ITVS said that Zoo 55 aims to be a “leading force in digital entertainment on a global scale,” building on the parent company’s portfolio of 140 owned and operated channels on YouTube, 18 FAST channels across 17 territories and 100-plus platform feeds globally.
It will exploit more of the 90,000-plus hours in the ITVS catalogue to a number of new channels launching across AVoD and FAST, allowing online audiences to engage with its brands on gaming platforms like Roblox, Fortnite and Minecraft.
As part of the launch plans, Metavision, the creative agency and studio led by Ashley Lewis, will migrate from ITV plc to come under the Zoo 55 banner.
Asked about the challenges of monetising content on YouTube, Berry told C21: “Optimisation is everything when it comes to social platforms, and that’s the skill and the talent pool we’ll have at Zoo 55.
“Google runs a pretty good ad platform, so there is a relationship with Google, whereby of the content that is viewed, ITVS earns a revenue share of the advertising that’s on the platform. So the bigger we are in scale, the more watched we are, the more we earn.
“That’s why it’s so important to get the data that allows us to identify viral trends and find the relevant content to serve that pool of viewers.”
Asked whether there were any plans to produce original content specifically for YouTube audiences, Berry said: “I think it’s an evolution. There’s a world in which you’d love to think that’s true, but I think we’ve got a lot to learn before we get there.
“There’s a threshold of production costs that doesn’t work with YouTube. As YouTube grows and we get better at monetising that platform and others around it, then our aspirations will grow. But not in the short term.”
In his former role as group head of digital at WBITVP, Trickey was responsible for developing and implementing the international production group’s digital strategy, as well as digital content for brands, broadcasters and streamers.
He provided strategic direction and connection to platforms such YouTube, Snap, Meta and TikTok, working across titles such as The Voice, Supernanny, First Dates and The Bachelor, planning and executing the monetisation of IP.
Prior to that, Martin was creative director of Twofour Digital, part of ITVS, and head of cross-platform production for the BBC.
In his role as exec VP, global digital partnerships, Haigh has helped expand ITVS’s global D2C and digital content strategies, working with partners such as Samsung, Google, Meta, Amazon, Pluto and TikTok to create product offerings in the social, FAST and AVoD space.
Trickey said: “To be in at the start of any new venture is exciting but being asked to take the MD role at Zoo 55 is an unparalleled opportunity. I know that with Ruth’s guidance and Graham’s experience we can grow Zoo 55 into a formidable digital content business.”
Haigh said: “We’ve spent the last few years building a robust, successful digital business, taking our super brands and IP on to new platforms and delivering new audiences in this space.
“To evolve this work into the launch of Zoo 55 is incredibly exciting and I’m really looking forward to partnering with both Martin and Ruth to drive further growth in this ever-changing space”
In other ITVS news, Australian free-to-air broadcaster the Seven Network has renewed its long-standing output deal with ITVS until 2029. The multi-year agreement will see Seven extend its first-look pact for all ITV scripted and non-scripted finished content from around the world to run across Seven’s suite of channels and platforms.
Meanwhile, ITVS dating format My Mum, Your Dad has been commissioned by Brazilian streamer Globoplay, to be produced locally by Formata.
