Stream on U
Today marks the launch of UKTV's new Masterbrand U, which sees its 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.
"We've taken a bold approach to our new branding"Penny Brough, UKTV's Chief Marketing Officer, said, 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 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 shows 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.
"We wanted to create an ambitious advert to launch U"Scott Russell said: We wanted to create an ambitious advert to launch U to highlight the variety of quality programming and to stand out in a hugely competitive landscape. It had to be joyful, have content at its heart, and to tell the story of whatever you love, we've got you. What's more, it needed to be memorable and have a surprise factor that was not only authentic but connected with current and new viewers. Who better to do this than mega superstar, Cher, performing a brand-new version of her iconic song, I Got You Babe, whilst meeting some new and familiar friends on the way?
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 Radio to U&Absolute Radio plus activity across Magic Radio (becoming U&Magic Radio online) and Greatest Hits Radio for the day, featuring on-air endorsements from top talent and personalised U channel recommendations for callers-in, based on their music preferences.
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.
Additional activations include social media takeovers, CTV UI, digital display, online videos, and a unique TV dinner pop-up restaurant.
The multi-media campaign to launch U builds on a series of successful campaigns UKTV and Havas Entertainment have developed together since 2021, with their partnership having been extended earlier this year. Recent successes include the Campaign Media Week Award-shortlisted Boxpark and Dave campaign and the Campaign Tech Award-winning Best Use of Data campaign, which drove significant growth for UKTV Play (now U).
Alex Sherr, Managing Partner, Havas Entertainment, "Its brilliant to support U during this exciting period of transformation and growth for the brand. U's commitment to fostering joy through its diverse range of shows has a deep-rooted place in our culture, which is what we're all about. We now enter our fourth year together, which we can't quite believe but have loved every second. We're exc
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
09/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
09/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
09/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
09/10/2026
September 10 2026, 06:00 (PDT) Dolby Expands Dolby OptiView Platform with New Capabilities at IBC 2026
New Sports Intelligence helps providers better unders...
08/10/2026
Modern venues have come a long way since the tinny, echoing audio of the mid 20t...
08/10/2026
ESPN's first Super Bowl production will stream in English and Spanish on Disney+, while the ESPN App carries the full slate of game, ManningCast, studio, an...
08/10/2026
From high-school videoboards to War Eagle Productions, the Opelika native is learning how to lead shows and capture big moments
The future of live sports produ...
08/10/2026
The Television Academy and Prime Video have announced a six-year agreement making Prime Video the exclusive global home of the Emmy Awards beginning with the 20...
08/10/2026
Techex will exhibit at NAB Show New York 2026 (Booth 623, Javits Center, October...
08/10/2026
X Games has announced the appointment of Steve Rogers as Chief Operating Officer. Rogers previously served as COO of World Supercross and spent nearly a decade ...
08/10/2026
Fonn Group has appointed Trevor Spielmann as Sales Director for Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Spielmann joins from EVS, where he held sales and business de...
08/10/2026
The flagship program will originate from major PG events with a four-camera production, live distribution across PGTV, social platforms
Perfect Game is bringin...
08/10/2026
Innovation rarely happens in a vacuum. More often, it happens at the point of collision: when worlds that have run on separate tracks begin to converge. That is...
08/10/2026
For decades, the production and broadcast services business has run on a familia...
08/10/2026
Uplynk, Zixi, BroadView Software, and Grass Valley have published The IP Converg...
08/10/2026
The NFL has announced the return of the Big Data Bowl, the league's analytics competition, now in its ninth year and again powered by AWS. Registration is o...
08/10/2026
Eutelsat has renewed its partnership with T l diffusion d'Alg rie (TDA), Algeria's national broadcasting network operator, for continued distribution of...
08/10/2026
Disney will livestream Super Bowl LXI on February 14, 2027, alongside the game's broadcast on ESPN and ABC. All Disney subscribers in the United States wi...
08/10/2026
RHStv and Red House Streaming have announced an expansion of their partnership w...
08/10/2026
Gray Media has announced a distribution agreement with TEGNA and DAZN to simulca...
08/10/2026
SVG readers can save 10% on registration and receive a complimentary Solutions H...
08/10/2026
PROTON Camera Innovations GmbH has been named a recipient of a 2026 Technology a...
08/10/2026
Industry leaders discuss real-world cloud workflows for live game production, pl...
08/10/2026
The next-gen audio technology joins Dolby Vision as part of Apple TV's immersive F1 experience...
08/10/2026
David France, Jesse Short Bull, Mato Wayuhi, N. Bird Runningwater, Jodi Archambau, Jhane Myers, Paul McGuire, Amber Morning Star Byars, Holly Macarro, Nick Tils...
08/10/2026
Dynamic panning plug-ins get an upgrade
Sound Particles have just announced major updates for two of their popular dynamic panning plug-ins. Energy Panner 2...
08/10/2026
New expandable instrument boasts full DMNO engine
UDO Audio have just announced the upcoming release of a new, expandable synth that packs the power of the ...
08/10/2026
Two new subwoofers added to monitoring line-up
ADAM Audio's monitoring range has just been expanded with two new DSP-equipped subwoofers, the Sub8 PRO a...
08/10/2026
eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({ content_source:......
08/10/2026
Calrec gives broadcasters freedom of choice at NAB Show New York We're looking forward to meeting up with you all at NAB New York on 21st-22nd October.
Cal...
08/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/10/2026
Globecast, a leading provider of broadcast, media and entertainment managed services, will showcase its next generation of media orchestration services at NAB S...
08/10/2026
Clear-Com played a critical role in the production communications infrastructure for Rock in Rio 2026, one of the world's largest and most recognized music...
08/10/2026
Sohonet Launches ClearView Rush: A Leap Forward in Studio Review, Built for Crea...
08/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/10/2026
Ikegami announces a major expansion to its range of broadcast-quality live production cameras. Scheduled for introduction on Ikegami booth 708 at NAB New York, ...
08/10/2026
Calrec will be located at Booth 444.
Freedom to choose
The media landscape is evolving quickly, and the broadcasters best placed for what comes next will be...
08/10/2026
LiveU has announced that CRD Audiovisuel relied on LiveUs LU900Q intelligent production unit, with built-in native LiveU IQ (LIQ ) connectivity, to deliver live...
08/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
Stream on U 
