By Liz Thomas and This Is Money Reporters
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Brideshead Revisited, starring Jeremy Irons (left) and Anthony Andrews, could be among shows released online
ITV has unveiled plans to release a string of popular dramas online, as the broadcaster looks to profit from its rich heritage.
More than 1,000 hours of archive content will be made available for viewers to rent on the ITV Player site.
It is estimated pricing will start at around 50p an episode, rising to as much as £4 a series.
Classics including Brideshead Revisited, The Jewel in the Crown, The Saint and Inspector Morse, are among those insiders say could be in the first wave of re-releases.
Old episodes of soaps such as Coronation Street could also be made available.
Some series have already been aired on ITV3 and ITV4, to surprising success.
However, their online availability will depend on rights negotiations and royalties, as well as the response from a 5,000-strong consumer research panel who will trail the new service this summer.
The expansion will also see ITV give audiences the chance to view epis odes of their favourite shows online before they broadcast on television. Currently viewers are able to watch programmes for free on ITV Player for a week after broadcast.
ITV's Fru Hazlitt told the Marketforce Future of Broadcasting conference: 'Introducing a mixed economy of free and pay content on-demand allows us to offer consumers the chance to access a wider range of content â€" offering them a little bit more for a little bit more.'
The company's performance has been under close scrutiny in recent years as directors try to establish ITV's position in the new digital era.
The shares have had a torrid few years during the financial crisis, falling from more than 120p in 2007 to below 20p in 2009.
Today they fell 1.25p to 74.80p.
The BBC has revealed it plans a pay-to-keep download service giving viewers access to older and previously unavailable shows.
Eight million viewers regularly tuned into Jewel In The Crown, which starred Charles Dance as an army sergeant in colonial India
For the first week after broadcast audiences are able to watch programmes for free on the ITVPlayer and this period can be extended to 30 days for those that register.
After this month long window, viewers will be charged to access older content and the archive.
Pricing for programmes from the archive has yet to be finalised and it is not clear if they will feature advertisements.
The expansion will also see ITV give audiences the chance to view episodes of their favourite shows online â€" before they broadcast on television.
Fru Hazlitt, MD of commercial and online at ITV, told the MarketForce Future of Broadcasting conference in London: ‘Introducing a mixed economy of free and pay content on-demand allows us to offer the five million consumers who already come to ITV Player online every month the chance to access a wider range of content â€" offering them a little bit more for a little bit more.’
Earlier this y ear the BBC revealed it plans to launch a 'pay-to-keep' download service which will give viewers access to older and previously unavailable shows.
Shows like Inspector Morse have been aired on ITV3 and ITV4 to surprising success - prompting the decision to release them available online
'Project Barcelona' will connect the BBC archives to the Internet, allowing viewers to pay a 'relatively modest' fee to download older classics.
The rumoured price for a TV show is about £2, which could then be kept forever on a computer hard drive.
This week the 'next generation' Youview set-top box was unveiled - two years behind schedule and has suffered a succession of false starts.
But the device, billed as a successor to the digital Freeview boxes in homes across the UK, will cost £299.
The eye-watering price puts it out of the reach of most Britons struggling in the economic downturn.
The one-off purchase, which will be on sale in shops later this month, will allow viewers to catch up on shows from the five main channels over the previous seven days.
Chairman Lord Alan Sugar said: ‘This is a great moment in British television. People ask what market we think there is for this. This will replace fr ee view boxes in the UK, it's the only box you need in your home.’
Consumers will need access to broadband internet services and good digital coverage for Youview to work in their homes.
Using new technology it will enable Britons to watch programmes from across more than 70 channels, and watch films and shows on demand, and listen to the radio.
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