jointly launched ITV2 in 1998 to be broadcast to most of the country as a uniform service. While free-to-air, it was marketed alongside their own subscription based ONdigital platform. Other ITV licencees, SMG, UTV and GMTV launched their own services in the space (see below).

Ahead of a proposed white paper for digital broadcasting in the summer of 1995, ITV already had interest in launching ITV2, which would broadcast in widescreen. One of the likely possibilities for the new channel was the airing