TV catch-up services ITV Player and Channel 4’s 4oD have joined existing service BBC iPlayer on the PS3 console.
The move means PS3 users will be able to catch up on popular shows from ITV, such as Coronation Street, Gossip Girl and Emmerdale, and some of Channel 4’s content which includes Peep Show, Hollyoaks and Misfits.
The ITV Player and Channel 4’s 4oD service will launch the first commercial TV video content that can be watched via the PS3, available to users who have broadband access. The BBC’s iPlayer launched on the PS3 console last year.
The distribution deal marked a shift in strategy for ITV, which had rejected deals with YouTube and Hulu, and offered its catch-up TV service only via Virgin Media, BT Vision and (imminently) Freesat.
Robin Pembroke, managing director at ITV.com, said the PS3 agreement marked an “acceleration of our distribution strategy”.
Pembroke said he also expected to see shows such as Coronation Street and Emmerdale becoming available on internet-enabled TV sets, tablet computers such as the iPad and other gaming consoles.
“As awareness of ITV Player grows, so will consumption of ITV’s content on demand,” he predicted.
