NEW VALUE PROPOSITION

Exclusive Live Events

Establishing ITVX as the destination for live events; streaming national moments that bring people together.

OVERVIEW

Going Live, Without Limits

As Head of Product Design at ITV, I led the strategic design transformation that established ITVX as a credible, scalable live event streaming destination.

Within six months, live events delivered: +150,000 incremental MAUS, 1.7m additional streaming hours and 1.4m engaged users.

The hard launch with Big Brother Live Stream alone generated 758k streaming hours and 470k engaged users, proving the commercial and audience value of live streaming at scale.

This work positioned ITVX as a serious competitor in live digital experiences and created a repeatable model for future events across sport, entertainment and national moments.

IMPACT WITHIN THE FIRST SIX MONTHS

+150,000

incremental MAUs

engaged users

1.7 million

streaming hours

1.4 million

About ITVX

ITV is the UK’s largest commercial broadcaster and streamer. In late 2022, it launched ITVX across web, mobile, connected TV and gaming consoles, combining free ad-funded streaming with a paid ad-free subscription.

Historically, live content had been confined to broadcast schedules, limiting ITV’s ability to capitalise on audience-driven live moments. This created a surplus in streaming rights and missed monetisation opportunities.

We saw an opportunity to unlock this value by making live events a core part of ITVX.

POSITION

Setting strategic direction

My role was to align user needs, platform constraints and business outcomes, while securing senior buy-in.

WINNING EXECUTIVE BUY-IN

Presented a clear value proposition for ITVX-exclusive live events to the Product Council, demonstrating how the experience would:

Improve discovery and anticipation
Support communal viewing behaviours
Drive engagement and retention

SHIPPING FAST, PLANNING LONG-TERM

Built a dual narrative:

A credible MVP we could ship quickly, focused on reliability, discoverability and core user needs under tight technical constraints
A long-term vision that positioned ITVX as the home of live entertainment and event-led viewing.

EVIDENCE-LED PRIORITISATION

Used early prototypes and research evidence to

Demonstrate real user value
Validate technical feasibility
Influence roadmap prioritisation across Core Experience and Design Systems
Secure early delivery resources, reducing risk and rework

This shifted live events from “nice-to-have” to a core part of ITVX’s product and monetisation strategy.

PEOPLE

Leading a high-performing team

I structured the core delivery team around the skills we needed most for a high-risk, cross-platform launch:

Lead UX + dedicated UX Research to define the proposition and evidence decisions
Senior Product Designer with EPG/TV Guide expertise to ensure discoverability
Embedded cross-functional partners in end-to-end process

How I elevated performance:

Clear ownership across discovery, prototyping and delivery
Regular crits and coaching to raise quality and confidence
Strong facilitation to model decision-making under pressure
Reinforced accountability through shared goals and visible progress tracking

Result: A team that could move quickly, make hard trade-offs, and still deliver a cohesive experience.

BUSINESS GOALS

• Attract more monthly active users (MAUs).

• Increase total streaming hours.

• Take advantage of surplus content opportunities.

CHALLENGES

• Scheduling constraints of live events in traditional broadcasting.

• Tight technological timelines and existing platform constraints.

• Need for a design that supports high user engagement and meets strategic business goals.

STRATEGIC APPROACH

• Leverage ITVX for live events to overcome scheduling limitations of traditional broadcasting.

• Complement flagship content on linear broadcast channels, diversifying our content and attracting new audiences.

• Focus on user-centric, insight-driven design with cross-functional collaboration at the centre.

PROCESS

Scaling user-centred delivery

With a fixed deadline (Big Brother) and a critical technical constraint (ITVX FAST channels existed, but they didn’t support live), I implemented a Design Thinking framework and adapted a Design Sprint methodology to fit enterprise reality.

What I implemented:

Partnered Product Design & Research with the Audience & Insights team for insight-led discovery aligned to business goals
Built a cross-functional sprint model for constraints to maximise workshop value
Embedded Engineering early to validate feasibility and avoid rework
Structured the experience around three phases:
- Pre-event (discovery, anticipation)
- During event (access, reliability, engagement)
- Post-event (retention, onward journeys)
Rapid prototyping and moderated usability testing paired with Betas that expose operational issues we resolved before launch
Regular retros to course-correct

This created a repeatable playbook now used across ITVX.

PRODUCT

Building best-in-class experiences

We prioritised speed and reliability by repurposing existing FAST infrastructure into a scalable pop-up live channel model.

The MVP Big Brother: Live Stream Focused on discoverability, access and stream confidence:

Deeplinking into the live player from partner platform UIs
Customised homepage heros with live status indicators across all tiles types
Live prioritisation in search
Editorial rails with live tags
Live TV rail with custom visual guidance
Strategic EPG placement near ITV2 to capture switching viewers
Branded pre/post-event holding slates
Onward journeys reused from VOD to drive retention
Dynamic ad replacement for monetisation

We designed for real behaviour and around the broadcast flow which ensured the experience worked in the moment, on TV, with urgency.

Tablet showing search results of 'sail', surfacing the live Sail GP content. Mobile displaying the programme page for Sail GP showing video-on-demand content after the live event.

Prior to the Big Brother launch we ran live Beta’s including SailGP, requiring adaptations for SailGP’s unique format of standalone events throughout the year. Key learnings:

Error handling improvements
Better last-minute marketing flows
Strong appetite for live content

This derisked launch and informed final MVP decisions.

Figure watching TV that displays the electronic programme guide (EPG) featuring the Big Brother Live Stream with the broadcast displayed behind it

Hands holding mobile device showing the Big Brother Live Stream hero on the ITV homepage including a CTA to 'Watch Live'

OUTCOMES & IMPACT

Measuring Success

The Big Brother Live Stream, marked a significant milestone in ITVX's live event initiative.

42 events streamed
758k streaming hours
470k engaged users
25-30%, homepage hero conversion cross platform , outperforming other major shows during the same period which ranged from 18-26%
Engagement rates for all Big Brother content tiles ranged from 41-56%, aligning with top-performing content.

A compilation of tweets showing the positive response from users about the Big Brother Live Stream

Viewer feedback was positive, particularly regarding the live stream, with requests for more coverage and on-demand availability.

The success of Big Brother was extended to other live events, including the FA Cup, The King's Speech, and Darts, showcasing the platform's adaptability.

By the end of 2023, 68 live event streams resulted in 1.7 million streaming hours, attracting 1.4 million users, and 150k incremental monthly active users

This strategy helped ITVX achieve impressive growth, contributing significantly to digital advertising revenue of £415 million (+21%) by the end of 2023, and it's set to further enhance its offerings, focusing on genres like comedy and improving platform accessibility and personalisation. The experience gathered from Big Brother and other events has established ITVX as a frontrunner in live streaming, laying a strong foundation for future expansions and retaining a diverse audience base.

BIG BROTHER LIVE STREAM

2.4 million

total streams

14%

increase in incremental MAUs

6,500

registrations just to watch the live stream