UKTV has announced a new on demand service offering full box sets of some of its most popular programmes as well as previews of original commissions and acquisitions.
The UKTV Play service will soft launch on Apple’s iOS platform this summer and be added to YouView and accessible on PCs by the end of the year.
It will be the broadcaster’s first digital-only service and sit alongside its popular linear channels which include Dave, Really, Watch and Gold.
Programmes on offer will be grouped by topic, theme and channel and include hits such as Storage Hunters, Crackanory, Alan Davies: As Yet Untitled, Dara O Briain: School of Hard Sums and Raiders of the Lost Art.
“UKTV Play will be as easy as switching on your TV,” said CEO, Darren Childs. “We will curate content by topics and events, so UKTV Play will take away the difficulty that some viewers find with video on demand: choosing what it is they want to watch.“
The service’s development and launch will overseen by UKTV’s Dan Fahy and Emma Boston
Dan Fahy, UKTV’s Director of Commercial & Business Development, 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 Play has been created specifically to cater for our viewers’ needs. It is an exciting new destination where they can find and watch programming from our different channels in a very easy and convenient way.”