The Media Odyssey

Episode Summary: "THE TRANSFORMATION OF ITV STUDIOS"

Date: March 5, 2026
Hosts: Evan Shapiro & Marion Ranchet
Guest: Martin Trickey (Zoo55, part of ITV Studios)

Overview

This episode dives deep into ITV Studios’ digital transformation, focusing on Zoo55—its digital distribution arm. Hosts Evan Shapiro and Marion Ranchet are joined by Martin Trickey, who offers a candid inside look at how ITV is unlocking the value of its content archive, driving engagement on platforms like YouTube and Roblox, and pioneering new forms of monetization and audience building amid rapid, foundational shifts in media consumption. The conversation blends sharp humor with industry insight, dissecting both the challenges and opportunities facing legacy broadcasters in today’s digital-first media environment.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. What is Zoo55? (00:22–03:56)

• Zoo55’s Mission: The digital distribution division of ITV Studios, Zoo55 manages three main verticals:
  • Social Video: Monetizing ITV's archive and current IP on platforms like YouTube and Facebook, blurring the line between marketing and revenue.
  • FAST (Free Ad-Supported TV): Building on new, complex distribution strategies across multiple fast-evolving platforms.
  • Games Business: Licensing ITV’s IP for games (e.g., "Love Island" top gaming charts in the US) and running Metavision Studio, which creates content for metaverse platforms like Roblox and Fortnite.
    • Mentos in Fortnite Example (03:18): “If you were Mentos in Fortnite, obviously what you're gonna do is make a bazooka, a giant tube of Mentos attached to a giant tube of cola…” — Martin Trickey

2. The Power of the Archive (05:12–08:11)

• Unlocking Value: Huge untapped opportunities in surfacing ITV’s archival content to new, younger audiences who never experienced these shows before.
  • Evan: “There’s so much to be made of the existing archive for new audiences who haven’t seen this stuff.” (05:27)
• Changing Audiences: Discovery analytics show:
  • Older demographics (65+) are significant YouTube viewers for shows like "Coronation Street"—and most are watching on TV screens, not just mobiles. (07:17)
  • YouTube is increasingly seen as a "TV" platform, particularly for lean-back, big-screen viewing.

3. Building Community vs. Building Audience (08:11–12:52)

• Harder Than Ever: Creating meaningful audiences online is much tougher than the old, scarcity-driven TV days.

  • Martin: “To be able to cut through, to be the signal and not the noise, is incredibly difficult... The content has to do the work and you have to engage with the super fans, the influencers, with mavens.” (09:19–10:12)

• Case Study – "River Monsters":

  • Niche content ("River Monsters" with its fishing angle) finds strong, unexpected organic community traction, sometimes driven by small, teachable moments (e.g., a segment on tying a fishing knot goes viral). (12:52)

  “The most popular video on River Monsters... the bit that is most shared... was a guy tying a knot onto a hook. Because everybody goes, they wanted to know how to tie that.” — Martin Trickey (12:52)

• Discovery’s Power: Digital platforms can provide "sleeper hits"—a show that underperformed on linear TV years ago can rack up hundreds of millions of views a decade later on YouTube. (13:32–13:40)

4. Monetization: Past, Present, Future (15:59–21:57)

• YouTube Partner Sales Program: ITV’s scale allowed it to enter YouTube’s partner sales, directly monetizing ad inventory rather than relying solely on YouTube's programmatic sales.

  “For the brands out there, the advertisers, they're going, ‘Whoa. So we can be on ITV1... but also we can be on YouTube as well. It was like, well, that's just a win, win.’” — Martin Trickey (18:15)

• Ad Placement Innovations:

  • Upcoming YouTube dynamic ad insertion will enable sponsors to be swapped in/out on existing uploads without losing accumulated traffic—seen as a potential "seminal moment" for branded content monetization on YouTube. (21:18–21:57)

  “Creators who do branded spots... they'll be able to upload a brand new branded spot without having to take down the whole video.” — Evan Shapiro (21:54)

• Looking Ahead: 2026 expected to be a big year for direct brand deals, allowing advertisers to own and participate in content creation, leveraging ITV’s strengths in both legacy and new media spaces. (19:57–20:59)

5. The UK TV Ecosystem and the Necessity of Change (24:09–27:22)

• Industry Snapshot: Shapiro’s analysis of UK TV as a crossroads—change now or be left behind. Trickey agrees it's bleak but not hopeless.

  “The monopolies that free-to-air broadcasters had in the 60s and 70s and 80s is gone... broadcast as a thing is kind of a blip in history. Peer to peer and social is the way that people are communicated to and told stories. Since cave painting.” — Martin Trickey (26:13–26:21)

• Broadcasters’ Path Forward: Legacy broadcasters must:

  • Embrace a portfolio approach—linear, streaming, social.
  • Avoid concentrating all resources into a single platform.
  • Evolve from the idea that streaming will simply inherit TV’s audience unaltered.
  • Shapiro: “It is not just streaming… you need to also get into social video.” (28:06)

6. ITV as a Platform for Partners (28:21–29:25)

• Shared Opportunities: Besides ITV’s own content, Zoo55 is opening its expertise and channels to external partners—serving producers who lack digital infrastructure, helping them unlock their archives’ potential, and jointly monetizing through ad sales and strategic distribution.
  • “We want your shows as if we were running an old school linear channel. It's the same thing. We want great content.” — Martin Trickey (29:20)

7. Staying Ahead of the Curve: The Personal Mindset (29:26–30:31)

• Evolving with the Industry: The secret to keeping up? Avoid self-defeating battles and keep learning.
  • “If you want to carry on thinking and learning, stopping hurting yourself is quite good.” — Martin Trickey (30:12)
• Hosts and guest share a humorous acknowledgment of industry longevity and resilience, with Trickey looking forward to continued experimentation and growth both for ITV and digital distribution.

Memorable Quotes

• “All the Brits look alike to me.” — Evan Shapiro (04:11)
• “The broadcast as a thing is kind of a blip in history.” — Martin Trickey (26:21)
• “It's better to be busy. I mean, it's been full on but utterly brilliant.” — Martin Trickey (00:59)
• “The key word from the first sentence you spoke when you described Zoo55 is the archive.” — Evan Shapiro (05:12)
• “Choose your right arguments... Pick the battle.” — Evan Shapiro (30:12)
• “Embrace it, go for it, because if you don’t, then it’s probably not going to work.” — Martin Trickey on broadcaster transformation (27:22)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• What is Zoo55? – 00:22–03:56
• Archive Value & Audience Discovery – 05:12–08:11
• Community vs. Audience – 08:11–12:52
• River Monsters Viral Moment – 11:09–12:54
• Monetization Discussion – 15:59–21:57
• YouTube Dynamic Ad Insertion – 21:18–21:57
• UK TV’s Existential Moment – 24:09–27:22
• ITV as a Partner Platform – 28:21–29:25

Final Thoughts

This episode is an insightful, often witty look at the collision of tradition and innovation in European television. Zoo55’s journey reveals how major players can successfully pivot to digital, both revitalizing legacy IP and forging new revenue streams. The episode is packed with practical observations for broadcasters, producers, and anyone curious about the strategies needed to survive—let alone thrive—in the ever-fragmenting media universe.