International Festivals and Files…

Josh Edwards is ITV Content Delivery’s Technical Coordinator and he spent a few days volunteering at the Edinburgh International Television Festival last month. Below he tells us what he experienced, including “choice paralysis” and nostalgia massively influencing content consumers….

“Here at ITV Content Delivery we prepare and deliver programme content for audiences at home and around the world, but we don’t always get to consider how they are received. By attending the Edinburgh International Television Festival we can gain a unique insight into the shared challenges and opportunities ITV, along with our rivals and partners can look forward to in the coming year and beyond. 

Last year Love Island was widely hailed at the festival for becoming the sensation that we now know and love. A big part of the dating show’s ascent was derived from catch-up viewing on the ITV Hub. This is a big point of pride for ITV Content Delivery, as our late and live team are responsible for capturing Love Island and delivering it to the platform as quickly as possible!

A central issue raised in this year’s ‘State of The TV Nation’ discussion was how can traditional broadcasters stay relevant and keep up with the offerings of SiliconValley giants, Telcos and huge multinational entertainment conglomerates like of Disney? Chaired by Channel 4’s Krishnan Guru-Murthy, the panel of media executives from a range of broadcasters, networks and online content platforms debated the pros and cons of the changing TV landscape. With hundreds of hours of new big budget, ‘must-see’ content being created each year, and more ways to view becoming available, the risk of ‘choice paralysis’ becomes even greater.

It’s clear that while we love to talk about the latest hit dramas in the office and at the dinner table, viewers still love to binge on the programmes of the past.

It could be argued that this is where ITV’s greatest strength lies – in the ITV Archive. Amongst ITV and BBC’s forthcoming SVOD platform, Britbox UK’s offering will include a curated collection of the best of British television from the recent and distant past that will have lots for those looking to revisit those old favourites. In ITV Content Delivery we’re proud to have been involved with this project and we can’t wait to show you what we’ve been working on when the service launches later this year! 

It was also great to see ITV Studios content we’ve delivered making it into so many different broadcasters’ showreels – shows like The Bodyguard and the forthcoming Noughts and Crosses adaptation. “