UKTV preps single VoD service

UK multi-channel broadcaster UKTV is launching its first non-linear brand, a video-on-demand service that will amalgamate previous individual channel offerings.

UKTV Play will be made available this summer and will be accessible via computers, module devices and the YouView DTT/IPTV platform.

The new VoD service will replace standalone on-demand versions of its channels Dave, Yesterday and Really, which were launched a couple of years ago, with the roll-out on YouView in 2013.

It will feature shows from the three networks, such as Dave Gorman’s Modern Life Is Goodish, Storage Hunters UK, Most Haunted and Ancient Black Ops. Advanced previews of original commissions and acquisitions will also be offered.

UKTV CEO Darren Childs said UKTV Play would be curated in such a way as to “take away the difficulty that some viewers find with video-on-demand: choosing what it is they want to watch.”

UKTV’s director of commercial and business development Dan Fahy will work alongside Emma Boston, general manger for VoD, on the roll-out. UKTV’s head of VoD, Kim Morris, will oversee editorial content.

Fahy added: “We’ve launched UKTV Play because data shows our viewers will find more programming and engage with our channels more regularly if they have a single destination for on-demand viewing.”

UKTV is a joint venture between BBC Worldwide, the commercial arm of the UK pubcaster, and Scripps Networks Interactive.