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CITV Channel



 
 
CITV is a British
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
 children's TV station
Television channel

A television channel is a physical or virtual channel over which a television station or television network is distributed. For example, in North America, "channel 2" refers to the broadcast or cable band of 54 to 60 MHz, with carrier wave frequencies of 55.25 MHz for NTSC analog video and 59.75 MHz for analog audio , or 55.31 MHz for digi...
 from ITV Digital Channels Ltd, a division of ITV plc
ITV plc

ITV plc is a United Kingdom media company that operates 11 of the 15 regional television broadcasters that make up the ITV, the oldest and largest commercial terrestrial television network in the United Kingdom....
. The channel is aimed at children under 12 years old, showing content from the current CITV
CITV

CITV is the brand name used for the majority of children's television output on ITV's television stations, including the ITV Network, breakfast broadcaster GMTV and the ITV plc-owned CITV Channel as well as non ITV plc owned regions....
 library, as well as commissions and acquisitions.

CITV broadcasts programming weekdays between 6.30am and 6pm and weekends between 6am and 6pm. The channel broadcasts a Teleshopping strand from 6am to 6.30am on weekedays.






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Encyclopedia


CITV is a British
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
 children's TV station
Television channel

A television channel is a physical or virtual channel over which a television station or television network is distributed. For example, in North America, "channel 2" refers to the broadcast or cable band of 54 to 60 MHz, with carrier wave frequencies of 55.25 MHz for NTSC analog video and 59.75 MHz for analog audio , or 55.31 MHz for digi...
 from ITV Digital Channels Ltd, a division of ITV plc
ITV plc

ITV plc is a United Kingdom media company that operates 11 of the 15 regional television broadcasters that make up the ITV, the oldest and largest commercial terrestrial television network in the United Kingdom....
. The channel is aimed at children under 12 years old, showing content from the current CITV
CITV

CITV is the brand name used for the majority of children's television output on ITV's television stations, including the ITV Network, breakfast broadcaster GMTV and the ITV plc-owned CITV Channel as well as non ITV plc owned regions....
 library, as well as commissions and acquisitions.

CITV broadcasts programming weekdays between 6.30am and 6pm and weekends between 6am and 6pm. The channel broadcasts a Teleshopping strand from 6am to 6.30am on weekedays. The channel previously timeshared with ITV4
ITV4

ITV4 is a United Kingdom television station which launched on 1 November 2005. It is owned by ITV Digital Channels Ltd, a division of ITV plc. The channel has a male-oriented line-up, including sport, cop shows and US comedies and dramas, as well as classic ITV action series of the 1960s and '70s....
 until 5 February , as it moved to the space on Freeview that had the channel ABC1, thus meaning that viewers in Wales
Wales

native_name = Cymru|conventional_long_name = Wales|common_name = Wales|image_flag = Flag of Wales 2.svg|national_motto = ...
 no longer receive CITV on Freeview. On Freeview in Wales, CITV off-air caption reads "CITV will no longer be available after 5 February". ITV4, the channel CITV timeshared with previously became 24 hours.

The channel launched on 11 March 2006 at 9.25am (with Holly & Stephen's Saturday Showdown
Holly & Stephen's Saturday Showdown

The Ministry of Mayhem was a CITV show which broadcast on the ITV Network from January 2004. As of January 2006, the onscreen name was Holly & Stephen's Saturday Showdown....
) on Freeview, Homechoice
Tiscali TV

Tiscali TV is a United Kingdom-based consumer Television in the United Kingdom and video on demand service, operated by the European telephony company, Tiscali....
 (now known as Tiscali TV
Tiscali TV

Tiscali TV is a United Kingdom-based consumer Television in the United Kingdom and video on demand service, operated by the European telephony company, Tiscali....
) and Telewest
Telewest

Telewest, formerly Telewest Broadband and Telewest Communications was a cable Internet, ADSL, telephone and cable television provider in the United Kingdom....
. It also launched on Sky Digital
Sky Digital (UK & Ireland)

Sky Digital is the brand name for British Sky Broadcasting's digital satellite television and satellite radio service, transmitted from SES Astra satellites located at Astra 28.2?E and Eutelsat's Eurobird 1 satellite at 28.5?E....
 on 8 May 2006 on EPG 624 (This has now changed to EPG 621), and NTL
NTL

NTL may refer to:* NTL Ireland, a cable television and MMDS company in the Republic of Ireland*...
on the 6 June on EPG 602/76. Additionally, the channel is simulcast on GMTV2
GMTV2

GMTV2 is a United Kingdom digital television station owned by GMTV, a consortium of ITV plc and The Walt Disney Company. It broadcasts every morning between 06:00 and 09:25 ....
 (which broadcasts on ITV4
ITV4

ITV4 is a United Kingdom television station which launched on 1 November 2005. It is owned by ITV Digital Channels Ltd, a division of ITV plc. The channel has a male-oriented line-up, including sport, cop shows and US comedies and dramas, as well as classic ITV action series of the 1960s and '70s....
, previously ITV2
ITV2

ITV2 is a 24 hour a day free-to-air entertainment television channel in the United Kingdom owned by ITV Digital Channels Ltd, a division of ITV plc....
) on weekdays between 6am and 9.25am.

NTL and Telewest are now both known as Virgin Media.

Leading up to launch

The original launch date of the channel was set for 11 February, but this was pushed back by four weeks as a result of problems "clearing the digital rights to children's programming" and "comprehensive" re-branding. Coincidentally, 11 February was the same date as the launch of the rival CBBC Channel
CBBC Channel

The CBBC Channel is a BBC television service aimed at 4 to 12 year olds. It complements the CBBC programming that continues to air on BBC One and BBC Two....
 in 2002. Promos for the channel began on 20 February, including an online countdown clock, running to the channel's launch date.

As has become standard for Freeview Channel launches, the channel was allocated an EPG number well before transmission started. Initially, a static 'coming soon' graphic was shown, followed by a preview video loop running from late February 2006 until the launch.

Logo change

It was apparent ever since the first advertisements appeared that the CITV
CITV

CITV is the brand name used for the majority of children's television output on ITV's television stations, including the ITV Network, breakfast broadcaster GMTV and the ITV plc-owned CITV Channel as well as non ITV plc owned regions....
 logo had been redesigned to match ITV's new corporate image, even using the same font as the logos for the rest of ITV plc
ITV plc

ITV plc is a United Kingdom media company that operates 11 of the 15 regional television broadcasters that make up the ITV, the oldest and largest commercial terrestrial television network in the United Kingdom....
's channels. The logo centres around the large 'C' and is coloured with two distinct palettes depending upon the nature of the programming - there is a cream/beige look for younger children's/preschool programming and red and navy blue 'comic book' scheme for older/schoolchildren's output.

Slogans

Slogans used during the build-up to the launch of the new channel, and in on-screen continuity since, have included 'It's massive!', 'It's gonna be monster!', and for the preschool strand 'As big as their imagination' - all phrases suggesting the sheer scale of the new channel.

Ratings

The CITV Channel launched with a full day average of 33,000 viewers and a 2.5% share of the child audience. This put it ahead of its major commercial rivals Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network (UK)

Cartoon Network is a Digital television in the United Kingdom television channel created by Turner Broadcasting, a unit of Time Warner which primarily shows animated programming....
 (20,000, a 1.5% share), Boomerang
Boomerang (British TV channel)

Boomerang is a television channel broadcast in the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland and the Arab World, launched on 27 May, 2000. It is broadcast 24 hours on the Sky Digital , Virgin Media, Tiscali TV, Top Up TV, Chorus Communications, Orbit Network, Showtime Arabia and Arab Digital Distribution....
 (28,000 a 2.1% share) and Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon UK

Nickelodeon UK, Nick UK for short is a cable and satellite TV network. The United Kingdom version, legally known as Nickelodeon UK, was launched on 1 September 1993....
 (26,000 a 2.0% share). The channel peaked at 4.30pm with Bratz
Bratz (TV series)

Bratz is a computer animation television series, based on a line of toy dolls of the Bratz. It is produced by Mike Young Productions and MGA Entertainment, and premiered on the FOX Broadcasting 4Kids TV television programming block on September 10, 2005....
 gaining 51,000 viewers and a 3.6% share.

The channel took a 0.2% audience share in its first week compared to: CBBC 0.6, Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network (UK)

Cartoon Network is a Digital television in the United Kingdom television channel created by Turner Broadcasting, a unit of Time Warner which primarily shows animated programming....
 0.4, Boomerang 0.4% and CBeebies
CBeebies

CBeebies is a United Kingdom television channel produced by the BBC and aimed at children 6 years and under. Launched on 11 February 2002, the station broadcasts from 06:00 to 19:00 each day on Freeview , cable television, IPTV and digital satellite television....
 1.4%.

It's overall ratings share for March 2006 was 0.1%, by April 2006 this had risen to 0.2%, 0.3% followed in May.

In August 2006, the channel became the most popular commercial kids channel between 0600 and 1800.

Programming

Programming between 6.00 and 9.25am is controlled by GMTV
GMTV

GMTV is the national ITV breakfast television contractor, broadcasting in the United Kingdom. It is owned by GMTV Ltd, comprising ITV plc and The Walt Disney Company ....
, who, having rebranded the vast majority of their GMTV1 and 2 children's output as CITV, now use the space to simulcast their Wakey! Wakey!, Toonattik and Action Stations! strands from GMTV1 at weekends and GMTV2
GMTV2

GMTV2 is a United Kingdom digital television station owned by GMTV, a consortium of ITV plc and The Walt Disney Company. It broadcasts every morning between 06:00 and 09:25 ....
 on weekdays. ITV
ITV

ITV is a public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom television network of British television broadcasters, set up under the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC....
 takes over at 9.25, controlling the rest of the day's programming. When it first launched, GMTV used to sell all the airtime for the channel, making it the first ITV plc-owned channel not to be sold by the in-house sales team. Airtime sales have now been taken back in-house by ITV.

ITV's output for the new channel includes many well-established shows from the long-running afternoon slot on ITV for example My Parents Are Aliens, Grizzly Tales For Gruesome Kids, Jungle Run, Art Attack, and many more, as well as several new programmes exclusively on the CITV Channel like Bratz
Bratz (TV series)

Bratz is a computer animation television series, based on a line of toy dolls of the Bratz. It is produced by Mike Young Productions and MGA Entertainment, and premiered on the FOX Broadcasting 4Kids TV television programming block on September 10, 2005....
, Louie
Louie

Louie may refer to:*"Louie Louie", a 1955 song written by Richard Berry.*Huey, Dewey, and Louie, fictional ducks who appear in animated cartoons and comic books....
, Paz
Paz (disambiguation)

Paz may refer to:*PAZ, an acronym for Permanent Autonomous Zone*Paz Oil Company Ltd., an Israeli fuel company*Paz Lenchantin, Argentine-American musician...
, Animal Spies!
Animal Spies!

Animal Spies! is a CITV programme which first aired on the launch day of the CITV Channel, 11 March 2006. The programme tells fictional stories about animals, using real footage with actors voice over....
, My Life as a Popat
My Life as a Popat

My Life as a Popat follows the lives of an Asian family, through the eyes of their eldest son, Anand. The teenager fights a daily basis full of embarrassment....
 and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2003 TV series)

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is an United States list of animated television series, mainly set in New York City. It first aired on February 8, 2003 and marked the revival of the franchise by Fox Broadcasting Company, with the help of 4Kids Entertainment, as a Saturday morning cartoon in Fox's Fox Box programming block ....
. Most have these shows have now been broadcast on CITV on the ITV Network. On weekdays, the channel broadcasts mainly preschool programming in the day (except during the school holidays), and programmes for schoolchildren in the late afternoon and early evening to cater for the available audience.

The CITV Channel aired the last 3 weeks of Holly & Stephen's Saturday Showdown
Holly & Stephen's Saturday Showdown

The Ministry of Mayhem was a CITV show which broadcast on the ITV Network from January 2004. As of January 2006, the onscreen name was Holly & Stephen's Saturday Showdown....
 exclusively on Saturday mornings before the show ended on Saturday 1 July 2006. The channel had previously simulcast the show with ITV before spin-off show Holly & Stephen's Saturday Showdown: Extra
Holly & Stephen's Saturday Showdown

The Ministry of Mayhem was a CITV show which broadcast on the ITV Network from January 2004. As of January 2006, the onscreen name was Holly & Stephen's Saturday Showdown....
 aired at 11:30am exclusive to the channel. The show would be replaced by the all-animation block Toon Base

As the channel is simulcast on the ITV Network, some programmes on the channel are sourced from different networks: Avatar: The Legend of Aang
Avatar: The Last Airbender

Avatar: The Last Airbender , is an Emmy award-winning Television in the United States animation animated television series that aired for List of Avatar: The Last Airbender episodes on Nickelodeon and the Nicktoons Network....
, SpongeBob SquarePants
SpongeBob SquarePants

SpongeBob SquarePants is an American animated Television program and media franchise. It is currently one of Nickelodeon and Nicktoons Network's most-watched show....
 (and others) are produced by and airs on Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon UK

Nickelodeon UK, Nick UK for short is a cable and satellite TV network. The United Kingdom version, legally known as Nickelodeon UK, was launched on 1 September 1993....
. GMTV
GMTV

GMTV is the national ITV breakfast television contractor, broadcasting in the United Kingdom. It is owned by GMTV Ltd, comprising ITV plc and The Walt Disney Company ....
's morning output on the channel is largely produced by Disney
The Walt Disney Company

The Walt Disney Company is the largest media and entertainment corporation in the world. Founded on October 16, 1923, by brothers Walt Disney and Roy O....
.

The CITV Channel had brought some programmes back that had not been on CITV for a few years including ZZZap!
ZZZap!

Zzzap was a United Kingdom children's television television program that was aimed primarily at hearing impaired children. The concept of the show was a giant comic that has been brought to life....
, Rupert Bear
Rupert Bear

Rupert Bear is a children's comic strip character who features in a series of books based around his adventures. The character was created by the England artist Mary Tourtel and first appeared in the Daily Express on November 8, 1920....
, Harry and the Wrinklies
Harry and the Wrinklies

Harry and the Wrinklies was a children's television series which was produced between 1999 and 2002. The show was produced by Scottish TV and SMG TV Productions that aired on CITV....
, Sir Gadabout: The Worst Knight in the Land
Sir Gadabout: The Worst Knight in the Land

Sir Gadabout: The Worst Knight In The Land was a United Kingdom children's comedy television programme, broadcast on CITV. It originally aired between February 11 2002 and May 9 2003....
 & Big Meg Little Meg, Wolves, Witches and Giants
Wolves, Witches and Giants

Wolves Witches and Giants, hilariously narrated by the legendary Spike Milligan KGB, is an animated series of humorous adaptations of classic fairytales, featuring a dastardly collection of villains including a wily wolf, a wicked witch and an enormous giant....
, Sooty Heights
Sooty Heights

Sooty Heights is a United Kingdom children's television series that aired on ITV from 1999-2001. It replaces Sooty & Co that was presented by Mathew Corbett from 1993-1999....
, the 1998/99 series of The Wombles
The Wombles

The Wombles were created by author Elisabeth Beresford, originally appearing in a series of children's novels from 1968. The characters later became nationally famous in the mid 1970s as a result of a popular BBC children's television show using stop motion animation....
 and The Adventures of Paddington Bear
The Adventures of Paddington Bear

The Adventures of Paddington Bear is a Canadian/France animated series childrens television series. It was based on the book Paddington Bear by Michael Bond and teleplay by Bruce Robb ....
. Sir Gadabout was shown on the channel part of its 'Easter Surprise!', soon after it was shown throughout most of the summer holidays that year.

Special blocks


Toon Base

Toon Base is a weekend morning block featuring only animated programming from 9.25am, which replaced Holly and Stephen's Saturday Showdown. The schedule contains Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Fast Forward, Planet Sketch
Planet Sketch

Planet Sketch is a 15-minute television show, with each episode featuring an assortment of sketches. It is produced by Aardman Studios....
, Horrid Henry
Horrid Henry

Horrid Henry is a fictional character created by Francesca Simon and illustrated by Tony Ross. The first Horrid Henry was written and published in 1994 and as of the end of 2008, there have been sixteen titles published, as well as numerous collections, activity books and joke books....
, Supernormal
Supernormal

Supernormal is a children's television programme for CITV. It was developed and produced by World Leaders Entertainment in New York City, USA, and Granada Kids UK....
, Bratz
Bratz

Bratz is a popular line of fashion dolls and related merchandise designed by Carter Bryant and manufactured by southern California toy company MGA Entertainment....
 and Atomic Betty
Atomic Betty

Atomic Betty is a Canada animated television series produced by Atomic Cartoons, Breakthrough Films & Television, and Tele Images Kids. Additional funding for production is provided by Teletoon in Canada and M?tropole 6 in France....
 .

From 8 February, 2008 the strand broadcasted until 12.00pm, adding Atomic Betty
Atomic Betty

Atomic Betty is a Canada animated television series produced by Atomic Cartoons, Breakthrough Films & Television, and Tele Images Kids. Additional funding for production is provided by Teletoon in Canada and M?tropole 6 in France....
 into the schedule.

Get Stuck In!

Get Stuck In! is an hour timeslot on Saturday and Sunday mornings on the CITV Channel. The current schedule includes Art Attack
Art Attack

Art Attack was a United Kingdom children's television series revolving around art. It was one of ITV's longest running programmes, running from 1989 until 2007....
, Finger Tips
Finger Tips

Finger Tips is a television programme produced by RDF Media's Children's production division, The Foundation. It is made primarily for CITV and was first broadcast in 2001....
 Mini
, Brilliant Creatures
Brilliant Creatures

Brilliant Creatures is a children's wildlife TV show which broadcast in the UK on ITV between 1998 and 2004.It was produced by The Foundation for Meridian Broadcasting in the first series and for ITV in series 2 - 6....
 and Art Attack Mini Makes.

From 8 February 2008, the strand will broadcast from 12.00pm to 1.00pm, but will keep the same schedule.

Get Stuck In! was also shown on Friday afternoon on CITV on the ITV Network. However, since there is now no afternoon programming on ITV
ITV

ITV is a public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom television network of British television broadcasters, set up under the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC....
 it is no longer shown. Previous shows broadcast in the timeslot are Prove It!, How 2 and Skillz.

Chooseday

Chooseday on Tuesdays is where viewers vote on what episode of a show they would like to see. The winning episode is broadcast at 12:00pm and 4:00pm.

Marathon Weekends

Marathon weekends were when the CITV Channel showed 2 hours of one particular show. Previous blocks include: Bratz
Bratz (TV series)

Bratz is a computer animation television series, based on a line of toy dolls of the Bratz. It is produced by Mike Young Productions and MGA Entertainment, and premiered on the FOX Broadcasting 4Kids TV television programming block on September 10, 2005....
, Horrid Henry
Horrid Henry

Horrid Henry is a fictional character created by Francesca Simon and illustrated by Tony Ross. The first Horrid Henry was written and published in 1994 and as of the end of 2008, there have been sixteen titles published, as well as numerous collections, activity books and joke books....
 and Grizzly Tales for Gruesome Kids
Grizzly Tales for Gruesome Kids

Grizzly Tales for Gruesome Kids is a series of books by Jamie Rix and a TV series produced for ITV.The original TV series was based on the award winning collections of cautionary tales by Jamie Rix....
.

Marathon weekends were broadcast weekends between 9.25am and 11.25am. They were shown in the Summer holidays in 2007 and the last time they did them was early January 2008, which was soon replaced with the return of Toonbase.

Totally Henry

Totally Henry featured 34 back-to-back episodes of Horrid Henry
Horrid Henry

Horrid Henry is a fictional character created by Francesca Simon and illustrated by Tony Ross. The first Horrid Henry was written and published in 1994 and as of the end of 2008, there have been sixteen titles published, as well as numerous collections, activity books and joke books....
, broadcast on May 5th 2008 between 9:25am and closedown at 6:00pm.

Horrid Henry's Power Hour

Horrid Henry's Power Hour was an hour of Horrid Henry, broadcast weekdays between 3.30 and 4.30.

What a Month!

CITV has an entertainment news strand that airs everyday on the channel, currently called What a Month (since January 2008). It was originally called What a Week! when the CITV Channel was launched, then in the summer of 2007 it was re-named to What a Summer!

What a Month covers new movies, songs, and videogames, with brief clips and sometimes behind-the-scenes interviews. Occasionally they mention CITV programmes too.

Web launch


CITV counted down to the launch of the new service on their website, complete with a caption showing the Freeview number (75) underneath it. Since the launch the website has been revamped to tie in with CITV's new logo and colour scheme.

The "Flea Mail" feature encourages viewers participation on the website and on air. The four Fleas are: Marcus Wingspan, Travel Bug, Flea Man, and Big Bow.

1st Birthday

On 11 March 2007, there was a normal lineup on the channel. But there was reference to it being the CITV Channel's Birthday including a video saying Happy 1st Birthday which children singing Happy Birthday and Horrid Henry
Horrid Henry

Horrid Henry is a fictional character created by Francesca Simon and illustrated by Tony Ross. The first Horrid Henry was written and published in 1994 and as of the end of 2008, there have been sixteen titles published, as well as numerous collections, activity books and joke books....
 saying "Mmmmm. Yummy" then the cake gets eaten up. And when the CITV Channel went to the break they would show a quick clip of some red balloons with some of them with the number one and some with the CITV logo.

Online Streaming

It was revealed in the CITV newsletter released on Friday 29 August, that the CITV Channel will soon be broadcasting simultaneously on the CITV website. The channel is now broadcasting online between 9.25am and 6pm.

See also

  • CITV
    CITV

    CITV is the brand name used for the majority of children's television output on ITV's television stations, including the ITV Network, breakfast broadcaster GMTV and the ITV plc-owned CITV Channel as well as non ITV plc owned regions....
  • GMTV
    GMTV

    GMTV is the national ITV breakfast television contractor, broadcasting in the United Kingdom. It is owned by GMTV Ltd, comprising ITV plc and The Walt Disney Company ....
  • Toonattik


External links