Narrowstep announced that it has signed an agreement with ITV Plc., to expand their local online TV service following the extremely successful year-long trial of http://www.itvlocal.tv.

ITVLocal will begin rolling out to the rest of the UK, region by region, in early 2007 with a fresh look, new functionality and a broad range of new content.

The broadband TV channel, available in the Meridian region, features local south coast news, weather and stories, as well as topical user generated content, all of which has contributed to the huge popularity of the channel.

itvlocal.tv has seen its audience grow through special programming such as documentaries produced by local university students, movies by local filmmakers, news events caught on mobile phones, new advertisers, a showcase for local bands, plus partnerships with Scoot, Friends Reunited and Teachers.tv.

"We are delighted with the success of the channel and we're really looking forward to our expanded relationship with ITV. One of the reasons it's been such a success is because our service has allowed ITV to focus in on their extraordinary content as well as making the most from the flexibility of our system," says David McCourt, Chairman and interim CEO of Narrowstep Inc. "Our proprietary technology -- telvOS(TM) -- has allowed ITV to engage local communities through the internet and then commercialise that relationship at different levels."

Mike Fegan, Commercial Director, ITV Consumer said: "ITV Local has been a huge success in the Meridian region during the trial phase, and we are preparing to launch the service in London and Central in early 2007. Narrowstep has worked with us since the beginning of the trial, directly contributing to the high quality user experience that we set as a benchmark for an ITV broadband television service."