ITV has agreed to invest up to £3 million in The Body Coach app, the health and fitness platform created by Joe Wicks. The deal, made through the broadcaster's media for equity investment fund ITV AdVentures Invest, will see the app advertise on ITV's channels and its video platform ITVX.
Wicks launched the app in late 2020, capitalising on the prominence gained during the Covid-19 lockdowns when he streamed daily workout videos online. The Body Coach offers personalised workout plans, healthy recipes and access to an online community to keep users motivated. The app's TV commercial will debut on ITV on 1 January, airing during breaks in a show fronted by Wicks on ITV1 and ITVX.
Wicks said: 'I never imagined when I started my bootcamps in the park over 12 years ago that The Body Coach would grow into a brand reaching millions of people.' He added that the partnership with ITV would allow him to 'bring a positive, supportive message about health and wellbeing into millions of homes at a time when people need it most'.
The announcement comes at a challenging time for ITV and other public service broadcasters, weeks after US media company Comcast, which already owns Sky, began talks to buy ITV's broadcasting business. Comcast bought Sky for £30bn in 2018 and also owns Universal Studios. The talks have raised concerns about the future of news provision in the UK as traditional broadcasters face an existential threat from streaming services and global digital companies.
ITV launched its AdVentures Invest programme in 2021, allowing the broadcaster to take minority stakes in early-stage digital businesses in return for advertising. Previous investments include the online estate agent Strike (trading as Purplebricks), furniture comparison website ufurnish.com and location app what3words.
