British commercial television broadcaster ITV today unveiled a £20 million upgrade of its website, which offers viewers the chance to watch all its programs over the net.
The site, which is due to go live in a few weeks time, allows viewers to stream in channels with a 30-day catch up service and the capacity to show archived footage.
Michael Grade, ITV's executive chairman, said he hopes the broadcaster will have digitized 20,000 hours of material by the end of 2007.
The move follows a growing trend for on-demand television in the UK.
Since its launch last November, Channel 4's on-demand broadband television service 4OD has wracked up more than a million viewers and the BBC's governing body recently approved plans for its on-demand service.
Speaking to the Financial Times, Sarah Rose, head of video-on-demand at Channel 4, said 4OD has resulted in a windfall of £500,000.
"It has definitely taken off," she explained. "We were pleasantly surprised by people's willingness to pay."
The BBC's version, due to be released later this year, will make programs available for seven days after being broadcast on television and users will be able store them for up to 30 days on Windows-operated computers.
Ashley Highfield, the corporation's director of future media and technology, said the BBC iPlayer is "a critical part of the BBC's strategy to maintain impact and relevance in a world where viewing and listening habits are shifting from linear to on-demand".
