ITV/Met Office launch online weather service

ITV has joined forces with the Meteorological Office to create itv-weather.co.uk.

The site will feature regional forecasts for 13 key areas across the UK and five-day forecasts for the UK and Europe. There will also be a section giving weather outlooks for key sports events, such as the Formula One fixture – a major ITV property.

ITV Network marketing and commercial director John Hardie says: “This venture extends ITV’s alliance with the Met Office to the online world. With its forecasting expertise and our access to 97 per cent of the population each month, itv-weather is set to be one of the most popular weather Web destinations in the UK.”

PowerGen has signed up as the official site sponsor. The deal was secured by Internet sales house Carlton Hyperactive. None of the parties will reveal how much the deal is worth, but Hardie claims it is “one of the biggest signings of its kind within the UK online market.”

The site, which took Met Office web consultancy Integra three months to design and build, goes live this week. It is the first time the Met Office has offered its web expertise as a consultancy service.

Met Office head of sales and marketing Gareth John says: “For the first time the Met Office is offering its technological expertise to websites wanting to package weather content for their customers. As forecasting has become more sophisticated, so the public is wanting to know what the weather will be like in coming days so they can plan ahead.

“Website providers are realising that the best information will make them the first port of call for consumers, giving them the opportunity to build customer relationships.”