ITV lines up summer launch for Encore

UK broadcaster ITV is set to launch its new pay channel, ITV Encore, on June 9, it announced today.

The network will launch on Sky Channel 123 and will be home to “the best of contemporary British ITV drama.”

ITV Encore’s branding has been produced in-house, while details of its schedule and broadcast hours will be confirmed closer to launch, the broadcaster said.

ITV first announced plans to launch Encore – the first new ITV channel in eight years – in January, as part a wider four-year partnership with Sky.

This partnership will also see ITV content become available on Sky’s range of connected platforms including Sky+HD, Sky Go, Now TV and Sky Store.

The Encore channel will play host to some of ITV’s most successful drama series from recent years, and from 2015 will also screen original commissions.

In February, ITV also announced plans to launch a new female-focused channel, ITVBe, that will feature lifestyle and reality programming and become the exclusive home of flagship reality show The Only Way is Essex.

This is due to launch towards the end of the year, will be advertising and sponsorship funded and will be targeted at a younger female audience.