ITV.COM & ITV STUDIOS UNVEIL MAJOR NEW CORONATION STREET ONLINE STORE

ITV Studios Global Entertainment today launched its new, direct-to-customer Coronation Street online store ITV.com/Corrie. The official store, powered by online retail specialist Digital Stores, will retail consumer product and home entertainment. Coronation Street is sponsored on ITV1 and at itv.com by Harveys –The Furniture Store.The all-new ITV.com/Corrie online store is an integrated part of the official Coronation Street official website, which features episodes, news, previews, clips, pictures and exclusively commissioned Corrie video. The ITV.com/Corrie store is the first programme-branded merchandise stall from ITV.com and the first-ever official online outlet to retail all current Coronation Street product in one destination. The ITV.com/Corrie store will launching with more than thirty-five different Corrie products by Christmas 2009, spanning DVD, books, calendars, gifting, stationery, gaming, lifestyle, apparel and exclusive to ITV.com Coronation Street consumer competitions.Earlier this year, ITV Studios Global Entertainment announced a portfolio of newly commissioned deals, including the hilarious and second feature-length exclusive-to-DVD release of Coronation Street Romanian Holiday starring Julie Hesmondhalgh, David Neilson and Katherine Kelly (which is released nationwide in the UK on 26/10/09), the limited edition Monopoly: Coronation Street board-game and The Girls of Coronation Street 2010 fashion calendar. All of which will be available to purchase at www.ITV.com/Corrie from today.Steve Gallant, Director of Home Entertainment & Digital at ITV Studios Global Entertainment said: “Core to our strategy is the creation and exploitation of high-quality brand extensions for ITV Studios’ biggest shows, distributing them across traditional, online and digital outlets. Coronation Street will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2010 and remains the nation’s most watched, and loved, television drama. It made perfect sense to put the masses of quality Corrie products at the finger tips of the millions of Corrie fans from around the world, in what is the first-ever official Coronation Street one-stop shop.”Kate Bradshaw, Deputy MD & Head of Online Commissioning, ITV.com said: “ITV.com/Corrie celebrated a record breaking September, reaching more than 742K unique users, an increase of 140 per cent year on year.”“We’re very excited to be launching the newly created and branded Corrie store today, bringing together an extremely compelling mix of Corrie video, entertainment, news and shopping all in one place – the perfect destination for all fans.”ITV.com/Corrie online shop is powered by Digital Stores, the direct-to-consumer e-commerce retail specialist behind online stores for The Beatles and Queen. Simon Moxon, sales director at Digital Stores added: “Direct-to-consumer sites are a growing part of the world of online retailing, offering a unique experience for consumers and a great opportunity for brands. The potential is vast and we’re excited to be helping Britain’s most watched TV show realise it.” Coronation Street is the UK’s longest running primetime television drama and is sponsored on broadcast and online by Harveys – The Furniture Store. In 2010 the hugely popular series will celebrate its 50th anniversary on ITV1. To coincide with the historic occasion, ITV Studios Global Entertainment has announced it will bring together a portfolio of licensed promotional partners, collectively called Coronation Street 50th Anniversary Best of British brands. Confirmed promotional brands include Warburtons and Coronation Street’s official sponsor Harveys – The Furniture Store.For further information contact: Louise EvansHead of Corporate CommunicationsITV plcTelephone: +44 (0) 20 7157 3710Email: Louise.Evans@ITV.com David ReissPR ManagerITV STUDIOSTelephone: +44 (0) 207 157 6186Email: David.Reiss@ITV.comITV STUDIOS Global Entertainment is one of the World’s leading international TV distribution, home-entertainment, publishing, merchandising and licensing businesses. ITV STUDIOS Global Entertainment proudly represents more than 35,000 hours of critically celebrated and hugely-popular original and formatted programming from ITV STUDIOS and leading independent producers. ITV STUDIOS Global Entertainment world-class portfolio includes Hell’s Kitchen, Come Dine with Me, Dancing on Ice, I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!, The Colour of Money, Coronation Street, Agatha Christie’s Marple and Poirot, Morse, Prime Suspect and the highly anticipated The Prisoner. Based in London, Cologne, Hong Kong, Los Angeles, Rio de Janeiro and Sydney, ITV STUDIOS Global Entertainment is an integrated part of ITV STUDIOS, led by Lee Bartlett, Managing Director.ABOUT DIGITAL STORES:Digital Stores is the UK’s leading direct-to-consumer retail services company, providing entertainment brands with complete end-to-end e-commerce, live-event ticketing, interactive marketing, data collection & fulfilment services.