ITV expands ITVX to PlayStation 4 and 5 via Accedo
Video solutions provider Accedo has supported UK commercial broadcaster ITV in expanding its ITVX streaming service to Sony PlayStation 4 and 5 consoles. The deployment extends ITVX's footprint to game consoles in the UK market to help scale active users and programmatic ad value.
Key Takeaways
- Deployment covers both PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5, which previously lacked native ITVX support.
- ITV aims to grow its existing base of 40 million registered users through the expansion.
- Launch includes both the ad-funded free tier and the ITVX Premium subscription service.
- Accedo managed the technical expansion, building on its previous role in the 2022 service launch.
Why It Matters
The migration of viewing from linear to digital requires broadcasters to maintain presence on every high-engagement screen. By filling the long-standing gap on PlayStation consoles — the leading home console brand in the UK — ITV secures access to a younger, tech-savvy demographic that often treats the game console as a primary living room hub. For the ecosystem, this move signals the continued necessity of custom platform development despite the rise of standardized smart TV OSs. It also strengthens ITV's first-party data collection efforts, which are critical for its Planet V programmatic ad platform as it targets #750 million in digital revenue by 2026. Watch for a corresponding lift in ITVX's monthly active users (MAU) in the next quarterly earnings report.
Additional Context
The expansion comes as ITV transitions toward a digital-first model to offset declining linear advertising revenue. Per The Media Leader in March 2025, ITV's digital ad revenue grew 15% year-on-year to #482 million in 2024, now accounting for 26% of total advertising income. This growth is anchored by ITVX, which recorded 14.3 million monthly active users and 1.7 billion streaming hours in 2024. Management has targeted at least #750 million in total digital revenue for 2026, relying on the platform's ability to reach harder-to-target audiences on diverse devices. PlayStation integration has been a critical missing piece for ITVX since it replaced ITV Hub in late 2022. While the service was available on Xbox and various smart TVs at launch, PlayStation users had expressed frustration over its absence. Per Cord Busters in April 2024, the previous ITV Hub app was never supported on the PlayStation 5, making this a significant technical upgrade for Sony's ecosystem. Sony remains a dominant force in the UK market; per the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), PlayStation accounted for approximately 60-70% of dedicated home-console unit sales between 2019 and 2022. Technically, the launch utilizes Accedo's client-side application frameworks, which were designed to replace the aging architecture of the ITV Hub. According to Broadband TV News in December 2022, this shift allowed for improved performance and more sophisticated personalization, which ITV uses to drive programmatic ad value. The PlayStation deployment follows other recent scale initiatives, including the 2024 acquisition of All3Media for #1.15 billion, which ITV is using to supply more content for ITVX and global streaming partners alike.
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