The ITV Network in the UK: A Comprehensive Analysis of its Broadcast and Digital Channel Portfolio

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of the channel portfolio of ITV plc, the United Kingdom's leading commercial public service broadcaster. The analysis reveals a company in the midst of a profound strategic transformation, balancing the management of a robust, yet consolidating, linear broadcast network with an aggressive pivot to a digital-first model centred on the ITVX streaming service.

ITV's current linear offering is built around a core of five nationally branded channels: the flagship ITV1, the youth-oriented ITV2, the classic drama channel ITV3, the male-skewed ITV4, and the recently launched gameshow channel, ITV Quiz. This portfolio is complemented by a complex, federated structure for the Channel 3 network licence. While ITV plc operates the service as ITV1 across England, Wales, Southern Scotland, the Channel Islands, and Northern Ireland (where it is branded UTV), the licences for Central and Northern Scotland are held by the independent STV Group plc, which operates the distinct STV channel. This division creates significant operational and strategic challenges, particularly in the digital streaming domain.

Recent strategic changes to the channel line-up, including the closure of the CITV and ITVBe channels and the launch of ITV Quiz, signal a deliberate shift in strategy. ITV is moving away from demographically niche, high-cost channels towards genre-specific channels that can be programmed cost-effectively from its extensive content library.¹ This rationalisation of the linear portfolio is not merely a cost-saving measure; it is a fundamental repositioning of the broadcast channels to act as promotional funnels for ITV's primary strategic asset, the ITVX platform. The linear channels serve to maintain brand presence and direct audiences to the deeper, more comprehensive content library available on the streaming service.

Ultimately, this report concludes that ITV is proactively navigating the secular decline of linear television by re-engineering its entire operational structure. The broadcast channels are being repurposed to support and drive engagement with ITVX, which represents the future of the company. This dual strategy positions ITV as one of the most forward-thinking legacy broadcasters, though its long-term success will be contingent on its ability to commission compelling exclusive content for ITVX and resolve the persistent fragmentation of its digital rights across the UK.

The Core ITV plc Channel Portfolio: A National Footprint

ITV plc operates a suite of national digital channels that complement its main ITV1 service. Each channel is strategically programmed to target a specific audience segment, allowing the company to maximise its reach and demographic penetration across the UK television market. The portfolio has recently been streamlined to focus on core genres and leverage the value of ITV's extensive programming archive.

ITV1: The Flagship General Entertainment Channel

As the UK's original commercial public service broadcaster (PSB), launched in 1955, ITV1 remains the network's flagship channel and the heart of its brand identity.¹ Its primary remit is to deliver a wide variety of high-quality programming to a mass, mainstream audience, a role it fulfils with a schedule built around major entertainment formats, original drama, national and regional news, and significant live sporting events.³

An analysis of its daily schedule reveals a meticulously structured approach designed to capture and retain different audience segments throughout the day. The morning block is anchored by breakfast television, including Good Morning Britain and Lorraine, which blend news with lifestyle and entertainment content.⁴ This transitions into popular daytime magazine shows like

This Morning and Loose Women.⁶ The afternoon is dominated by successful and highly repeatable quiz formats such as

Tipping Point and The Chase, which serve as a crucial lead-in to the primetime schedule.⁶ Primetime itself is built upon the foundation of the UK's most-watched soap operas,

Coronation Street and Emmerdale, which are regularly followed by high-budget dramas, large-scale entertainment shows, or feature films.⁷ The day is punctuated by comprehensive national and regional news bulletins, a core component of its public service obligations.⁶

A critical pillar of ITV1's identity and value is its portfolio of top-tier, free-to-air sporting rights. It holds joint rights with the BBC for the nation's most significant football tournaments, including the FIFA World Cup and the UEFA European Championship, an arrangement that has been in place for decades and guarantees huge live audiences.⁴ The network also shares the rights to the FA Cup and broadcasts horse racing, including major events, which are primarily shown on ITV1 on Saturday afternoons.⁴ This access to nationally important sporting events cements ITV1's role as a unifying public broadcaster and a key driver of simultaneous mass viewership.

ITV2: Targeting Youth and Reality Audiences

Launched on 7 December 1998, ITV2 is the network's primary youth-focused entertainment channel, targeting the commercially valuable 16-34 demographic.¹ Its brand identity is strongly associated with reality television, acquired US programming, and comedy panel shows. The channel's flagship programme is the cultural phenomenon

Love Island, which drives significant viewership and social media engagement.¹¹

The programming schedule is heavily weighted towards reality and entertainment formats. Alongside Love Island, it has been the home of long-running series like The Only Way is Essex (TOWIE).⁶ A significant portion of its primetime and late-night schedule is also dedicated to popular acquired US animated comedies, most notably

Family Guy and American Dad!, which have a strong following among its target audience.¹¹

A recent strategic consolidation has further sharpened ITV2's focus. Following the decision to close the sister channel ITVBe in June 2025, its key reality franchises, including The Only Way is Essex and The Real Housewives series, were moved to ITV2.² This move consolidates all of ITV's primary reality content onto a single, powerful channel brand, creating a clear destination for fans of the genre.

Furthermore, ITV2 has absorbed a key public service responsibility. Since the linear CITV channel ceased broadcasting on 1 September 2023, ITV2 has broadcast a daily children's programming block under the "CITV" brand.¹ This block typically runs from 05:00 to 09:00, ensuring that ITV continues to meet its PSB obligations for children's content on a linear channel.¹

ITV3: The Home of Classic British Drama

ITV3, which launched on 1 November 2004, is a channel with a distinct and consistent programming strategy: to serve as a curated library of classic British drama, primarily targeting an older audience.¹ It has successfully carved out a niche by focusing on high-quality archive content, offering a reliable schedule of well-known and beloved series.

The channel's schedule is dominated by repeats of ITV's most successful and enduring dramas, with a particular emphasis on the crime and mystery genres. Flagship titles that appear regularly include Agatha Christie's Poirot, Midsomer Murders, Foyle's War, and Vera, alongside classic period dramas such as Heartbeat and repeats of soaps Classic Coronation Street and Classic Emmerdale.⁷ This programming strategy is highly cost-effective, as it relies on content already owned by ITV, and it resonates strongly with its target demographic, which values nostalgic and familiar programming. The channel broadcasts from 06:00 to 03:00, with teleshopping filling the overnight hours.¹

ITV4: A Focus on Sport and Cult Classics

Launched on 1 November 2005, ITV4 is programmed with a clear focus on a predominantly male audience.¹ The channel's identity is constructed around two main content pillars: live sports and archive "cult classic" programming.

In sports, ITV4 serves as the home for much of ITV's live coverage outside of the main headline events shown on ITV1. It is the primary destination for daily coverage of the Tour de France and other major cycling events, as well as extensive horse racing coverage throughout the week.⁴ It also broadcasts boxing under the Premier Boxing Champions banner and has recently added the Extreme H motorsport series to its portfolio.⁴ The remainder of the schedule is filled with classic action series, cult films, and documentaries that appeal to its target demographic. This dual strategy of live sport and archive content provides a distinct and compelling proposition for its intended audience.

ITV Quiz: A New Genre-Specific Channel Strategy

The newest addition to the portfolio, ITV Quiz, launched on 9 June 2025, directly replacing the reality-focused channel ITVBe.¹ This launch represents a significant evolution in ITV's multi-channel strategy, moving from a demographically targeted channel to one that is purely genre-specific. ITV Quiz is dedicated exclusively to broadcasting quiz and game shows drawn from ITV's vast archive.¹

The channel's schedule consists of back-to-back episodes of popular and highly repeatable formats, including Tipping Point, The Chase, Lingo, Deal or No Deal, Wheel of Fortune, and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?.⁵ This content is ideal for "grazeable" viewing, where audiences can dip in and out. The programming model is exceptionally cost-effective, as it relies entirely on existing content from the ITV Studios library, requiring no new commissioning or acquisition costs.

The strategic shift from ITVBe to ITV Quiz is highly indicative of ITV's current thinking. The company has systematically closed channels that targeted specific demographics and required bespoke content, such as CITV for children and ITVBe for young women.¹ The new model, exemplified by ITV Quiz, is to create low-overhead, genre-based channels that act as showcases for the depth of content available in the ITV archive. These channels no longer need to function as standalone profit centres but can instead serve as powerful, 24/7 promotional vehicles for the ITVX streaming service, where the full boxsets of these shows are available on demand. In this new ecosystem, the linear channel effectively becomes a "shop window" for the digital "supermarket."

Table 1: The Current ITV plc Channel Portfolio

The Channel 3 Network: A Regional Federation

The entity commonly referred to as "ITV" is, in fact, the brand name for the Channel 3 network, the UK's primary commercial public service broadcaster. Unlike the BBC's unitary structure, Channel 3 was established and continues to operate on a federal model of regional licences. This historical structure has profound implications for the network's branding, programming, and, most critically, its digital strategy in the modern era.

The Federal Model Explained

The ITV network was founded in 1955 as a collection of separate companies, each holding a licence to broadcast in a specific region of the UK.⁴ Over the decades, a series of franchise reviews and corporate mergers has led to significant consolidation. The fifteen regional licences are now held by just two parent companies: ITV plc and STV Group plc.⁴ ITV plc, the dominant entity formed from the 2004 merger of Granada plc and Carlton Communications, holds the licences for all of England, Wales, the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man, and Northern Ireland.⁴ The Scottish licences remain independent. This structure means that the ITV network as a broadcasting entity is distinct from ITV plc, the corporate owner of most of its components.⁴

ITV1: The Network Hub for England, Wales, and Southern Scotland

For the vast majority of the UK population, ITV plc provides the Channel 3 service under the unified ITV1 brand.⁴ While the broadcast is largely a centralised, national service, ITV plc fulfils its public service obligations through dedicated regional opt-outs. Each licence area, such as ITV Granada (North West England), ITV Meridian (South and South East England), and ITV Tyne Tees (North East England), receives its own dedicated regional news bulletins and occasional local programming.⁴ A notable example of deeper regionalisation is ITV Cymru Wales, which provides a service with a specific focus on Welsh issues and interests.⁴ The renewal of these crucial Channel 3 licences, overseen by the regulator Ofcom, is scheduled to take effect from 1 January 2025, and will determine the future requirements for regional production and news.¹⁸

STV: Scotland's Distinct Commercial Broadcaster

In Central and Northern Scotland, the Channel 3 service is provided not by ITV plc but by STV (Scottish Television), which is owned by the independent, Glasgow-based STV Group plc.⁴ While STV broadcasts the majority of ITV's network programming, such as

Coronation Street and Britain's Got Talent, under a long-standing affiliation agreement, it operates as a distinct channel with its own strong brand identity.⁹

The key distinction lies in its ability to opt out of the network schedule to broadcast its own locally produced content. This primarily consists of news and current affairs programming tailored to its Scottish audience, including the flagship evening news programme STV News at Six and the weekly current affairs show Scotland Tonight.⁵ STV also produces a range of other factual programmes and documentaries that reflect Scottish culture and interests.²²

Crucially, this independence extends to the digital realm. STV operates its own video-on-demand and catch-up service, STV Player, which is the designated streaming platform for viewers in Scotland.⁴ This creates a significant divergence from the rest of the UK, which is served by ITVX.

UTV: Serving Northern Ireland with a Local Focus

The Channel 3 licence for Northern Ireland is held by UTV (Ulster Television). Unlike STV, UTV is now a subsidiary of ITV plc, following its acquisition in 2016.⁴ Despite being part of the larger corporation, the service has retained the powerful and locally resonant UTV brand, particularly for its regional programming. The on-air identity is often a dual branding of ITV1 and UTV.²⁴

Similar to the model in Scotland, UTV broadcasts the core ITV1 network schedule but provides its own distinct local content. Its primary local output is the highly-regarded news service UTV Live, which has been on air in various forms since 1993.²⁵ It also produces local current affairs and factual programmes such as

View from Stormont and Up Close.²⁵ Since its acquisition by ITV plc, UTV's on-demand content has been fully integrated into the ITVX streaming service (and its predecessor, ITV Hub), meaning viewers in Northern Ireland use the same digital platform as those in England and Wales.²⁵

The federated structure of Channel 3 is more than a historical curiosity; it is a central factor shaping ITV's contemporary strategy. The independence of STV creates a significant fracture in what would otherwise be a unified UK broadcast and digital footprint. Because ITV plc does not control the broadcast licence or the associated digital rights in Scotland, it cannot offer its primary streaming service, ITVX, as a truly national platform. This results in a fragmented digital landscape where viewers in Scotland must use a separate service, STV Player, to access on-demand content from their regional Channel 3 provider. This legacy structure acts as a considerable constraint on ITV's ability to compete on a level playing field with genuinely national streaming services like BBC iPlayer, or global platforms such as Netflix and Disney+. Any future digital strategy must therefore contend with this "STV problem," presenting a complex challenge that may require a strategic partnership, an acquisition, or the continued acceptance of a divided market.

Table 2: Channel 3 Network Regional Variations

Navigating the UK Television Landscape: ITV Channel Listings

For viewers, the accessibility of a channel is determined by its position on the Electronic Programme Guide (EPG). Securing a prominent, low-number EPG slot is a critical strategic asset in a crowded media environment. ITV has successfully maintained prime positioning for its portfolio across all four of the UK's major television distribution platforms: Freeview (the universal digital terrestrial service), Sky (the dominant satellite pay-TV provider), Virgin Media (the leading cable television provider), and Freesat (the free-to-air satellite service).

The following table provides a consolidated and comprehensive guide to the EPG numbers for the entire ITV family of channels. This data has been synthesised from over twenty separate sources to create a single, authoritative reference. The guide includes listings for Standard Definition (SD), High Definition (HD), and timeshift (+1) variants of each channel.

The data clearly demonstrates a strategic consistency in channel numbering across platforms, which reinforces brand recognition and simplifies content discovery for viewers. For example, the flagship channel, ITV1, is consistently found on channel 3 (for SD) or 103 (for HD), while ITV2 is almost always on channel 6. This EPG prominence is a significant legacy advantage derived from ITV's status as a public service broadcaster. In an era of near-limitless choice, this ease of access provides a powerful marketing tool, driving viewership to linear broadcasts and building the brand awareness required to migrate audiences to the ITVX streaming platform. The ongoing industry-wide shift to HD as the default standard is also evident, with ITV having completed an "all-HD" upgrade for satellite viewers in October 2024, following a similar move by the BBC.²⁸

Table 3: Comprehensive ITV Channel Number Guide (UK)

Notes:

• Channel numbers can be subject to minor regional variations and periodic EPG reshuffles by platform operators.
• On Sky and Virgin Media, HD channels are now the default in the primary EPG slots for major channels. SD versions may be found in higher-numbered slots (e.g., 800s on Sky) or may not be available.
• ITV1 is branded as STV in Central and Northern Scotland and UTV in Northern Ireland on the EPGs.¹⁹
• ITV Quiz launched on 9 June 2025, replacing ITVBe. Some older EPG data may still list ITVBe at these numbers.²

The Digital Frontier: ITVX and the Streaming-First Strategy

The central pillar of ITV's contemporary and future strategy is ITVX, its comprehensive streaming service. Launched on 8 December 2022, ITVX represents a fundamental strategic evolution, transforming the company's digital presence from a basic catch-up service (the former ITV Hub) into a fully-fledged streaming destination designed to be the primary point of engagement for viewers.²⁷

From Catch-Up to Streaming Destination

The transition from ITV Hub to ITVX was a deliberate move to create a service that could compete more effectively with BBC iPlayer and the major subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) platforms.²⁷ While ITV Hub was primarily a 7-day catch-up service for linear broadcasts, ITVX is positioned as a content destination in its own right, marketed as "the UK's freshest streaming service".³¹ It aims to be the first port of call for viewers seeking ITV content, rather than an afterthought.

The Content Proposition

ITVX operates on a hybrid, multi-tiered model. The primary tier is free and ad-supported (AVOD), offering live streams of all ITV channels, catch-up programming, and a vast on-demand library.²⁷ A premium subscription tier is also available, which removes advertising from on-demand content and provides access to an even larger library of shows, including the catalogue from the BritBox streaming service.³²

The depth of the content library is the service's key differentiator from its predecessor. ITVX offers thousands of hours of box sets from the ITV archives and acquired content, alongside a regularly refreshed selection of blockbuster films.³¹ To ensure a constant stream of new material, ITV has committed to a strategy of debuting many of its new flagship dramas on ITVX first, months before they receive a linear broadcast on ITV1.

A significant innovation within ITVX is the integration of themed FAST channels (Free Ad-supported Streaming TV). These are curated, 24/7 streams that mimic a linear viewing experience within the on-demand environment. Channels are built around specific hit shows (e.g., Vera, Midsomer Murders, The Only Way is Essex) or genres (e.g., Crime Drama, Comedy 24/7), allowing viewers to engage in passive, "lean-back" consumption.²⁷ This feature cleverly bridges the gap between traditional linear viewing habits and the choice-driven world of on-demand streaming. By catering to viewers who prefer not to actively select their next programme, ITVX can significantly increase user engagement and total time spent on the platform. This, in turn, drives more ad impressions on the free tier and enhances the perceived value of the service, potentially encouraging upgrades to the premium tier.

Furthermore, following the closure of the linear CITV channel, ITVX has become the exclusive home for ITV's extensive library of children's programming. This content is housed within a dedicated, branded hub called "ITVX Kids," which launched in July 2023, making the platform an essential destination for families.¹

A History of Evolution: The Defunct ITV Channels

Understanding ITV's current channel strategy requires an appreciation of its past ventures in the multi-channel landscape. The history of ITV's discontinued channels provides a clear narrative of strategic experimentation, adaptation, and a gradual consolidation around a core, cost-effective model. This history illuminates the lessons learned that have directly shaped the current portfolio and the pivot to an ITVX-centric future.

Channels Driven by Demographic Targeting

ITV has made several attempts to capture specific demographic segments with dedicated channels, a strategy that has proven increasingly challenging in a fragmented media market.

• CITV (2006–2023): For 17 years, CITV was the dedicated linear home for ITV's children's content. Its closure in September 2023 was a direct response to a fundamental shift in viewing habits.¹ Its target audience of young children had almost entirely migrated to on-demand platforms like YouTube and Netflix. Maintaining a linear channel for this demographic was no longer commercially sustainable. The CITV brand and content library were subsequently moved to a daily block on ITV2 and a dedicated hub within ITVX, following the audience to their preferred platform.¹
• ITVBe (2014–2025): Launched in 2014, ITVBe focused on reality and unscripted lifestyle programming, targeting a predominantly young, female audience with shows like The Only Way is Essex.⁴ Its closure in June 2025 and the subsequent move of its flagship programmes to ITV2 represents a strategic consolidation. Rather than dividing the youth audience across two separate brands, ITV has chosen to unify its reality programming on the stronger, more established ITV2 channel, creating a single, powerful destination for that genre.²

Experiments in Premium and Pay-TV

ITV's forays into the premium subscription and pay-per-view markets have been short-lived, demonstrating the difficulty of competing against entrenched market leaders.

• ITV Encore (2014–2018): This channel was a bold attempt to create a premium drama destination, available exclusively as part of a subscription package on Sky.¹ It was intended to be a home for high-end, original drama. However, the channel struggled to gain traction, reportedly due to an over-reliance on repeated content and an inability to compete with the high-budget original productions of services like Sky Atlantic. Its closure in 2018 signalled ITV's retreat from the bespoke pay-TV channel market.¹
• ITV Box Office (2017–2020): A pay-per-view (PPV) service launched primarily to broadcast boxing events.¹ The venture was an attempt to capture a slice of the lucrative sports PPV market but was ultimately unable to compete with established players like Sky Sports Box Office. It was closed in early 2020 after ITV concluded that the model was not commercially viable for its business.⁴

Early Digital-Era Ventures

In the early years of digital television, ITV launched several channels to explore new formats and genres, many of which were later closed as the market matured and strategies were refined.

• ITV News Channel (2000–2005): A 24-hour rolling news service, launched as the ITN News Channel, it was an attempt to challenge the duopoly of BBC News 24 and Sky News.¹ The channel suffered from poor ratings and was ultimately closed down in 2005 to free up broadcast capacity for the launch of the more commercially promising ITV4.¹
• ITV Play (2006–2007): This was a participation television channel focused on late-night quiz formats that involved viewers calling premium-rate phone lines. The channel was embroiled in a major industry scandal regarding the integrity of these competitions and was swiftly taken off air and closed in 2007.¹

This historical record reveals a clear pattern. ITV has consistently struggled with ventures that require significant, ongoing investment in original content for a niche audience (ITV Encore) or that attempt to compete in markets dominated by powerful specialists (ITV News Channel, ITV Box Office). Conversely, its most successful and enduring digital channels—ITV2, ITV3, and ITV4—are those that primarily leverage a cost-effective mix of archive content, key acquisitions, and sports rights that complement the main channel. The decision to close ITVBe and launch the library-driven ITV Quiz is a direct continuation of this successful, pragmatic model. This history provides the essential context for why the company's future is now so heavily invested in ITVX—a platform designed to monetise its greatest asset: its vast and valuable content library.

Table 4: Notable Defunct ITV Channels

Strategic Analysis and Future Outlook

The comprehensive analysis of ITV's channel portfolio reveals a broadcaster executing a clear and decisive dual-pronged strategy designed to navigate the transition from the linear age to the streaming era. The two prongs—a rationalised broadcast portfolio and a feature-rich digital platform—are not separate initiatives but are now inextricably linked, with the former increasingly serving the latter.

Synthesis of the Dual-Pronged Strategy

ITV's current strategy can be summarised as 'Broadcast for reach, Digital for depth'. The linear channels, particularly the flagship ITV1, continue to deliver huge, simultaneous audiences for major events, news, and entertainment, providing the broad reach that remains the unique strength of traditional television. However, the secondary channels (ITV2, ITV3, ITV4, and ITV Quiz) have been strategically refined to act as low-cost, efficient marketing funnels. By programming these channels with highly repeatable, genre-specific content from the ITV library, the company maintains a constant promotional presence that builds brand awareness and directs viewers to the digital mothership, ITVX, where deeper engagement (such as binge-watching entire box sets) can be monetised more effectively through targeted advertising or premium subscriptions.

The Future of Linear Broadcasting for ITV

ITV's aggressive investment in ITVX is a clear acknowledgement of the long-term, secular decline of linear broadcasting. Industry and regulatory timelines suggest a potential winding down of digital terrestrial television (Freeview) services from 2030 onwards, with the current multiplex licences expiring in 2034.¹⁸ Similarly, major satellite providers like Sky have contracts that indicate a potential exit from satellite distribution before the end of the decade.¹⁸ ITV's strategy is therefore a necessary preparation for this eventuality. The recent move to cease standard-definition satellite broadcasts and become an HD-only service is a tangible first step in this managed, long-term transition away from traditional distribution methods.²⁸

Key Challenges and Opportunities

Despite its clear strategy, ITV faces significant challenges and opportunities on the path ahead.

• Challenge: Regional Fragmentation: The most immediate structural impediment to a unified digital strategy remains the independence of STV in Scotland. The existence of a separate STV Player prevents ITVX from being a truly UK-wide service, creating brand confusion and a fractured user experience.⁴ Overcoming this legacy issue will be a key strategic priority.
• Challenge: The Streaming Wars: In the on-demand world, ITVX is not just competing with the BBC iPlayer; it is competing for audience time and attention with global giants like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Disney+, which operate with vastly larger content budgets.
• Opportunity: The Power of ITV Studios: ITV's single greatest advantage in this competitive environment is its ownership of ITV Studios, a world-class production and distribution company that creates content for broadcasters and streamers globally.³³ The ability to leverage this in-house creative engine to produce a steady stream of high-quality, exclusive "ITVX Originals" is the most powerful tool ITV has to differentiate its service, attract new viewers, and convert them into loyal subscribers.

Concluding Remarks

In conclusion, ITV has developed one of the most coherent and proactive strategies among legacy broadcasters for navigating the profound disruption in the media industry. By rationalising its linear portfolio to support a robust, content-rich streaming service in ITVX, it has laid a clear path for its future. The success of this strategy will ultimately depend on its ability to execute in three key areas: first, commissioning and marketing unmissable exclusive content that can define the ITVX brand; second, effectively monetising the platform through both advertising and subscriptions; and third, finding a long-term solution to the regional fragmentation of its digital rights. If it can meet these challenges, ITV is well-positioned to not only survive the decline of linear television but to thrive in the new digital landscape.