UKTV, part of BBC Studios, has rebranded its online video service as “U” and renamed its free-to-view channels as U&Dave, U&W, U&Drama, and U&Yesterday. It places the emphasis on you the viewer, but the viewer may not think of themselves as you.
UKTV is promoting the change with the singer Cher and a specially recorded version of the song I Got You Babe, backed by an extensive and no doubt expensive media campaign. The advert starts with UKTV execs pitching their creative to Cher, who, in a vision, says she “can see it now”.
“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,” said Penny Brough, the chief marketing officer of UKTV.
“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.”
UKTV has also changed its brand colour from teal to coral to try and stand out from its online competition and give if “warmth and personality”. It worked with global brand consultancy Wolff Olins on the design system for the new U visual identity, which uses the ‘Right’ font family for its wide range of styles and variations.
Describing the rationale behind the rebrand as being focussed on supercharging streaming, UKTV said: “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.”
The online video service will simply be called “U”, while the free-to-view television channels become U&Dave, U&W, U&Drama, and U&Yesterday. The Gold, Alibi, and Eden channels retain their identity for the moment, but will receive a similar treatment to become U&Gold, U&Alibi, and U&Eden.
The emphasis is now on “U” rather than the “UK”. It is clearly intended to communicate that the master brand is all about “U” the viewer, which may seem sensible from the perspective of a broadcaster, but from the point of view of a viewer it should surely all be about “me”.