UKTV brings U a new era of television and streaming

Today marks the launch of UKTV’s new Masterbrand U…

The new look sees UKTV’s free streaming service transition to U and its free-to-air channels become U&Dave, U&W, U&DRAMA and U&YESTERDAY. Viewers will see the changes on air and across platforms, with all assets reflecting the new brand design system.

To kick off the launch, UKTV has teamed up with legendary singer Cher for an advert that celebrates the wealth of free quality content on the U streaming service, promising its viewers they can lose themselves in what they love, “whatever you want to watch, we’ve got U”.  In a creative twist, the global superstar is travelling through some of Britain’s best-loved shows on U, performing a new rendition of the iconic song, I Got You Babe, which was recorded especially for the launch of U.

U’s launch is supported by an extensive media campaign, created in partnership with culture-first media agency Havas Entertainment. It has been designed to deliver the most personally recommended campaign ever carried out by the broadcaster, with the aim of generating buzz and awareness for the new Masterbrand, while emphasising the depth and breadth of content available on U.

Penny Brough, UKTV’s Chief Marketing Officer:

“Following ten months of research, design work and asset creation, I couldn’t be more excited to see U come to life on and off air. We’ve taken a bold approach to our new branding, and this has been matched by our biggest ever multi-media campaign and our launch advert featuring Cher, one of the most recognisable women in the world.

“Our aim was to deliver an advert that’s authentic, memorable, creates talkability and feels every bit as dynamic as our new Masterbrand U. Cher’s iconic song I Got You Babe perfectly aligns with our campaign tagline “We’ve Got U”, reflecting the depth and range of almost 8,500 hours of free content available on the U streaming service.”

The new U

The advert starts with UKTV execs pitching their creative to Cher, who, in a vision, says she “can see it now”, and immediately starts singing I Got You Babe. Along the way, Cher meets EastEnders’ Barry (Shaun Williamson), and together they perform karaoke in the Queen Vic, as well as meeting Orlando Bloom who’s perched on the top of a rock as he tests his physical and mental strength in the self-titled, Orlando Bloom: To the Edge. The superstar also has a chance to test her own nerve as she’s sat in the back of a car driven by Chris Kamara and Jeff Stelling, cheating death in Sri Lanka in World’s Most Dangerous Roads.

Viewers can catch a glimpse of Cher make a surprise appearance in Secrets of the London Underground, as well as many other well-loved shows including popular series, Annika, which sees Cher perform to DI Annika Strandhed (Nicola Walker) who heads up the show’s Marine Homicide Unit, as the unlikely duo don lifejackets, setting sail on the Scottish waters.

The TV commercial was developed by UKTV’s in-house creative agency in partnership with HunkyDory Films, and led by Scott Russell, UKTV’s Creative Director. It was directed by Christian Bevilacqua, with Leanne Farleigh as Senior Producer, Mary Claire Seiler as Head of Production and Eoin McLaughlin as Creative Consultant.

The advert will be available on UKTV’s social and linear channels including U&Dave, U&Drama, U&Yesterday and U&W from today, and supported by UKTV’s biggest-ever media spend on ITV, Channel 4 and Sky, as well as YouTube, Facebook and TikTok. To complement this, UKTV’s media agency, Havas Entertainment, has secured a strategic radio takeover in partnership with Bauer on the day of launch, with the renaming of Absolute, Magic, Gold and Greatest Hits radio stations for the day, featuring on-air endorsements from top talent and personalised U channel recommendations for callers-in, based on their music preferences.

Cher loves sharing with U

U’s 360 launch campaign will also be seen across Britain’s most prominent poster sites, celebrating new and exclusive shows using a fly-poster design that helps to showcase U’s range of content in a noisy and disruptive way.

“The rationale behind the new branding is linked to UKTV’s ambitious growth strategy, which is focussed on supercharging streaming. A key driver of this is connecting and better leveraging the brands within UKTV’s estate. The launch of this new Masterbrand supports this strategy by making it easier for users to navigate both online and on-air. The simplicity of the new U brand architecture also retains the names and equity of the existing channel brands that are well-known and loved across the UK.” – UKTV

In other UKTV news the company has appointed Claire Hookway to the newly created role of Commissioning Executive to bolster the development of the multi-channel broadcaster’s growing slate of original drama.

Joining the team led by Hilary Rosen, Director of Commissioning for UKTV, and reporting to Helen Perry, Head of Drama, Claire will support the delivery of scripted drama programmes across UKTV’s Alibi, U&DRAMA and U&Dave channels.