ITV CEO Carolyn McCall has warned UK broadcasters they are facing their last chance to create a viable alternative to the big US streaming services.
In an interview with The Guardian, McCall warned UK broadcasters have little time left to take on the likes of Netflix and Amazon.
“I think the window is closing,” McCall said. Asked if ITV and its domestic rivals were effectively in the last chance saloon to develop British-focused competitor to the SVoDs, she said: “Of course, which is why I think ITV feel we just want to get on. We know it’s not going to be easy. We know it’s not slam dunk. If we don’t do it we will never do it. We have to take the plunge.”
Earlier this year, McCall revealed ITV was considering launching a subscriber-led video on demand service and that the broadcaster was talking to “a range of partners.”
There has long been talk of the BBC, ITV and Channel 4 working together to launch a British streaming service.
In the interview with the newspaper, McCall conceded that a joint venture between three such different businesses is proving tricky.
“We would like to collaborate with the PSBs because it just makes sense,” she said. “But we all have different ownership structures and we all have slightly different objectives. I would like to see partnerships in this and there is a lot of work going on to try and get that.”
