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ITV Broadcasting Media

ITV CMO to lead on-demand unit in streaming restructure

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By John Glenday, Reporter

October 20, 2020 | 3 min read

A chief marketing officer vacancy has opened at ITV as incumbent Rufus Radcliffe moves to head up the broadcaster’s newly formed on-demand business unit. Part of a wider restructure by the broadcaster, the move will establish a media and entertainment division incorporating broadcast and on-demand. The broadcast unit will focus on TV channels, including ITV and ITV2, ensuring its ‘USP of mass simultaneous reach‘.

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ITV restructure to see ex-CMO lead on-demand

What’s happening over at ITV?

  • ITV is restructuring its business to place a heavier emphasis on streaming, with twin goals of driving efficiencies and providing ‘leaner central support services‘.

  • Key to this approach will be the creation of a new media and entertainment division comprising separate broadcast and on-demand units.

  • The changs have prompted a reorganisation of personnel, with director of television Kevin Lygo switching roles to head up the newly formed division and its broadcast sub-unit.

  • That leaves the on-demand arm, which will be fronted by Rufus Radcliffe, currently ITV's chief marketing officer.

  • Radcliffe‘s remit will encompass three existing services; the Hub catch-up platform; ad-free Hub Plus; and BritBox.

  • The dust should have settled on the restructuring process by March 2021.

Why it matters

  • ITV‘s reorganisation signals an alignment of investment and resources around the twin viewing poles of broadcast and streaming, with improved efficiencies and cost savings providing tangential benefits.

  • The boardroom reshuffle leaves a vacancy for the CMO role, which ITV is now recruiting for.

  • Radcliffe first joined ITV in 2011 as group marketing and research director, having spent the previous decade working for Channel 4. He was promoted to CMO and director of direct-to-consumer last year.

  • More recently Radcliffe has been focused on delivering ITV‘s ‘More than TV‘ strategy, including the ‘Britain Get Talking‘ mental wellness initiative.

  • ITV chief executive officer Carolyn McCall said: “Our new media and entertainment division will enable ITV to continue to deliver mass, live audiences while investing in the future to create the sort of content and viewing experience that younger, and other harder to reach viewers want.

  • Outlining the imperative to win over new audiences McCall added: “Linear channels will be around and be profitable for many years, but we also need an on-demand business which will increasingly be the focus of our new investments in content and technology and which will be our growth engine for attracting younger and more targeted audiences to ITV.”

ITV Broadcasting Media

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