ITV LAUNCH ITV DIGITAL

FROM JULY 11, ITV Digital is the new name for ONdigital. ITV Digital is ITV’s pay television platform, leveraging the strength of the ITV brand, and building on the one million subscribers achieved by ONdigital.
To help launch this well loved brand into the digital era ITV Digital have been joined by celebrities of all facets of television. Ant and Dec, the hugely successful childrens’ TV presenters, and the news reader Mary Nightengale
ITV Digital’s next big day is in exactly one month, on August 11, when the ITV Sport Channel launches, with its outstanding football coverage of over 150 live and exclusive UEFA Champions League, Nationwide Football League and Worthington Cup matches. ITV Digital will also bring Premiership pay per view football to its customers, giving them the best football coverage available on any pay platform.
Rob Fyfe, Managing Director of ITV Digital said: “ ITV Digital is going to build on all the strengths of ONdigital and add to them the enormous power of the ITV brand. This is the beginning of a new era in British TV and another world first; the first time that a pay TV platform has been part of a major free to air network. It’s a brand new day for ITV Digital”.
ONdigital was the world's first commercial digital terrestrial TV platform, providing digital TV through an aerial, with no dish or cable needed. It is jointly owned by Carlton Communications and Granada Media. ONdigital launched in November 1998 with 30 channels. By March 2001 it had 1,000,087 customers, 53 channels and had introduced a wide range of interactive services, including digital text services, games, Pay per View, interactive advertising and programming. (CD)