Observed Signal · Jun 25, 2026 · Interview · Source: The Drum · Impact: 3/5 · Sentiment: Positive
ITV's Lara Izlan: Cultural Agility Drives Media Future
ITV director of insights Lara Izlan describes how the broadcaster is operationalizing AI, prioritizing first‑party data and reorganizing teams to turn audience fragmentation into commercial advantage. ITV leverages its ITVX streaming platform and a proprietary AI metadata engine called CoMet to accelerate content tagging and personalization. The company combines first‑party behavioral data with zero‑party attitudinal panels and privacy‑safe second‑party partnerships (via clean rooms) to measure outcomes and prove advertising effectiveness. Izlan emphasises that technology is the easier part of transformation; cultural agility, earned trust and blended research/data teams are the critical challenges. ITV merged qualitative research and data science into a single 50‑person Insights Group to marry nuance with scale and drive outcome-based measurement for advertisers.
ITV is a major publisher operationalizing AI (CoMet), leveraging ITVX growth and building a first/zero/second‑party data strategy and blended insights team — a practical blueprint that other media owners and advertisers may emulate.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- Lara Izlan is director of insights at ITV plc and leads ITV’s research and data experts.
- ITVX outpaced major UK streaming platforms, including BBC iPlayer and Netflix, in streaming hour growth in its first two years.
- ITV developed CoMet, a bespoke AI content‑metadata tool combining generative AI and traditional machine learning to generate granular metadata in hours or minutes.
- In late 2023 ITV merged qualitative market research and data science into a unified 50‑person ITV Insights Group.
- ITV combines first‑party behavioral data, zero‑party panels/surveys and privacy‑safe second‑party partnerships in clean rooms to measure advertising outcomes such as purchases.
Connected Companies & Entities
8 Entities mapped“At ITV, she built and led the advertising data team before overseeing group data strategy....”
“In its first two years, ITVX outpaced major UK streaming platforms, including BBC iPlayer and Netflix, in streaming hour growth....”
“Lara Izlan has had a storied career, having held senior media roles at AOL, Disney, Telegraph and Auto Trader, where data was central to dig...”
“Lara Izlan has had a storied career, having held senior media roles at AOL, Disney, Telegraph and Auto Trader, where data was central to dig...”
“Lara Izlan has had a storied career, having held senior media roles at AOL, Disney, Telegraph and Auto Trader, where data was central to dig...”
“ITV is the UK’s biggest commercial broadcaster, with channels and content spanning news, drama, entertainment and sport, plus the ITVX strea...”
“In its first two years, ITVX outpaced major UK streaming platforms, including BBC iPlayer and Netflix, in streaming hour growth....”
“Lara Izlan has had a storied career, having held senior media roles at AOL, Disney, Telegraph and Auto Trader, where data was central to dig...”
Ontology Mapping & Concepts
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