ITV has officially launched BE Studio, the full service creative studio to produce Ad Funded Entertainment (AFE) it announced at ITV Palooza.
BE Studio will “help brands build emotional connections with ITV’s audience through the co-creation of entirely new formats.”
AFE is a growing trend, with shows across genres including Cooking with the Stars with M&S, DNA Journey with Ancestry, and John and Lisa Down-Under with Trailfinders. The recently announced ‘Champions’ series which goes behind the scenes of the world of jump racing in association with Flutter Group and Racecourse Media Group is the first BE Studio production and will screen in summer 2024.
ITV is now actively taking more AFE opportunities to market for brands including fashion, travel and food.
ITV is actively investing in additional AFE and Social Production resources and bolstering creative capability with greater integration between ITV Commercial and ITV Creative alongside the launch of BE Studio.
BE Studio also builds on the success and growth of ITV’s creative partnerships over the past five years, which has seen an increase in the number of integrated commercial partners across programmes including Love Island and Big Brother.
Bhavit Chandrani, director of BE Studio, said: “ITV has always been a market leader at creating 360 degree partnerships with brands thanks to our unique position as an integrated producer and broadcaster/streamer. With the launch of BE Studio we’re excited to offer even more opportunities to reach ITV’s audience in creative ways through the co-creation of Ad Funded Entertainment.”
