The Stage

ITV plans online only drama and comedy

Published Tuesday 22 May 2007 at 10:30 by Matthew Hemley

ITV is planning a slate of drama and comedy programming commissioned especially for broadband on its revamped website at ITV.com.

Tanya Lidstone, responsible for all new commissions on the site, said the broadcaster was looking to develop original formats in several genres and was already talking to ITV Productions about an idea for a new comedy-based series.

She said the series could take the form of a talent search show aimed at finding new comedians, but said discussions were at an “early stage”.

This week, the broadcaster launched its first made-for-broadband commission with real life soap opera Web Lives.

Made by Films of Record, Lidstone said this would pave the way for other commissions and added: “We are trying to break the mould and I have a budget specifically for commissioning broadband programmes. I can definitely see a drama series working online and I am very keen to do one.

“We will definitely be looking to do a comedy series too and I am hoping more pitches from production companies will come in that are like that.”

Lidstone said independent producers currently viewed the web as a way of developing a multimedia aspect to accompany a television show and not as an opportunity to create original programmes in their own right.

She said she hoped Web Lives, shown daily at 1pm, would demonstrate ITV’s strategy for making original broadband-only content and encourage production companies to be more “forthcoming”.

“While broadband is about supporting current TV programmes, there is a real opportunity to find our own ground, look at content in its own right and commission our own shows,” she said.