ITV to launch online TV payment system in January

ITV is planning a payment system for online TV which should be in place in January, according to its half-year interim results report.

In results released today, the broadcaster's average number of monthly unique users online was up 19 per cent year-on-year to 10.8 million, while online revenues increased by 33 per cent to £16 million.

Long-form video views – watching TV programmes online – were also said to have increased by 64 per cent to 180 million.

In its half-year results, the broadcaster revealed its plans for an online pay mechanism, to be introduced "around the turn of the year so that we can test what people will pay for".

"We are investing in fixing our online technology and we are building scale in our online business," the report claims.

"Our new online team is investing in both quality of technology and ease of use, and in driving up commercial performance."

Across broadcasting and online, revenues reportedly rose by 26 per cent to £887 million in the first half of the year.

Earlier this year ITV confirmed it was to continue with its £15 million cost-cutting plans, although told Journalism.co.uk savings would be "largely non-personnel".

It has announced a number of changes as part of an ongoing news review in the first half of this year, including the dropping of three regional news director posts, the merging of the Daybreak news team with ITV News and the appointing of former BBC chief political correspondent Laura Kuenssberg as its new business editor.

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