ITV (LSE: ITV) has signed a three-year deal with onscreen branding and channel playout agency Red Bee Media to look after all its programming on video-on-demand and catchup services.
Under the agreement with ITV, Red Bee will deliver content to platforms including ITV Broadcasting, Amazon (NSDQ: AMZN), BT (NYSE: BT) Vision, iTunes, ITV.com, Virgin Media (NSDQ: VMED) and, once it launches, YouView. Previously ITV used a number of providers, including in-house staff and BT Mosaic.
Red Bee said that each week it “will ingest 240 hours of broadcast quality programming and transcode over 1,500 hours of ITV content into multiple VoD and catchup TV platform formats for delivery and distribution in the UK and around the world”.
The Red Bee chief executive, Bill Patrizio, said the move will save ITV time and money. “We will also manage ITV’s entire library, which is over 10,000 hours of programmes. We believe we have the credentials and leading edge thinking to make sure ITV keeps pace with the rapidly changing world of video on demand and catchup,” he added.
Helen Stevens, the ITV director of broadcast resources, said: “Catchup TV is revolutionising the TV experience and it is vital for ITV to be at the forefront of that change. The appointment of Red Bee Media gives us access to sophisticated technology and expertise that is essential for ITV’s content to take its place on the various emerging video platforms and to grow its digital media offering.
“ITV selected Red Bee Media to manage and process its digital assets and support mission critical workflows due to the media company’s scale, flexibility and proven track record and we look forward to building on a strong partnership.”
An ITV spokeswoman added that while viewers will not notice much difference, the deal enables “us to put our house in order for rolling out our shows across platforms”.
Red Bee was formerly BBC Broadcast but changed its name after it was sold by the BBC to a consortium.