CITV, short for "Children's ITV" is a
BritishThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
children's
TV stationA 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 frequencies of 55.25 MHz for NTSC analog video and 59.75 MHz...
from ITV Digital Channels Ltd, a division of
ITV plcITV plc is a British media company that operates 11 of the 15 regional television broadcasters that make up the ITV Network, 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
CITVCITV 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.
The CITV channel is an extension of the original afternoon children's programming block carried on the ITV channel. First called "Children's ITV", the block launched on 3 January 1983 at 15:30. Some years later (following the launch of "Children's BBC", and its subsequent rebranding to "CBBC"), it adopted the shorthand name "CITV".
The CITV channel broadcasts 06:00 to 18:00, however the channel broadcasts a Teleshopping strand weekeday mornings between 06:00 and 06:30. The channel previously timeshared with
ITV4ITV4 is a UK 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. The channel...
until 5 February 2008, until ITV4 expanded its broadcast hours to become a full 24 hour channel. As a consequence it moved to the Mux space on Freeview originally held by ABC1, however this move meant that viewers in
WalesWales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom, bordered by England to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It is also an elective region of the European Union...
would no longer be able to receive CITV on Freeview. On Freeview in Wales, the off-air caption read as "CITV will no longer be available after 5 February".
The channel launched on 11 March 2006 at 09:25 on Freeview,
HomechoiceTiscali TV is a UK-based consumer television and video on demand service, operated by Tiscali UK.The service, originally known as Homechoice, was provided by Video Networks Limited , based in Shepherd's Bush in West London, until it was purchased by Tiscali UK in August 2006, and became known as...
(now known as
Tiscali TVTiscali TV is a UK-based consumer television and video on demand service, operated by Tiscali UK.The service, originally known as Homechoice, was provided by Video Networks Limited , based in Shepherd's Bush in West London, until it was purchased by Tiscali UK in August 2006, and became known as...
) and
TelewestTelewest, formerly Telewest Broadband and Telewest Communications was a cable Internet, broadband internet, telephone supplier and cable television provider in the United Kingdom...
†. It also launched on
Sky DigitalSky Digital is the brand name for British Sky Broadcasting's digital satellite television and radio service, transmitted from SES Astra satellites located at 28.2° east and Eutelsat's Eurobird 1 satellite at 28.5°E....
on 8 May 2006 and
NTLNTL may refer to:* NTL Ireland, a cable television and MMDS company in the Republic of Ireland* NTL:Telewest and NTL Internet, known since February 2007 as Virgin Media, a company involved in television, Internet, mobile phone, and fixed-line telephone services, especially in the United Kingdom,...
† on the 6 June. Additionally, the channel is simulcast on
GMTV2GMTV2 is a British 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 . It is designed to complement its sister channel GMTV, and offers children's programming every day and it is simulcasted weekdays on...
(which broadcasts on
ITV4ITV4 is a UK 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. The channel...
, previously
ITV2ITV2 is a 24 hour, free-to-air entertainment television channel in the United Kingdom owned by ITV Digital Channels Ltd, a division of ITV plc. It was launched on 7 December 1998, and is available on digital television via satellite, cable, IPTV and terrestrial platforms...
) on weekdays between 06:00 and 09:25.
†NTL and Telewest are now both known as Virgin Media.
Logo change
It was apparent ever since the first advertisements appeared that the
CITVCITV 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 plcITV plc is a British media company that operates 11 of the 15 regional television broadcasters that make up the ITV Network, 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.
Launch
The CITV Channel launched on 11th March 2006, using the capacity formerly used by the ITV News Channel on Freeview. Until February 2008 the CITV Channel timeshared with ITV4. Both the channels replaced the ITV News Channel.
Slogans
Slogans used during the build-up to the channel's 2006 rebranding, 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 2006 rebrand.
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 NetworkCartoon Network or CN for short is a television channel available on Sky Digital, Virgin Media, Tiscali TV and UPC Ireland. Distributed by Turner Broadcasting, the channel primarily shows animated programming and was launched on 17 September 1993 in the United Kingdom and Ireland.-History:The...
(20,000, a 1.5% share),
BoomerangBoomerang is a television channel broadcast in the United Kingdom and in the Republic of Ireland launched on 27 May 2000. It is broadcast 24 hours on the Sky Digital, Virgin Media, Tiscali TV, Top Up TV, UPC Ireland...
(28,000 a 2.1% share) and
NickelodeonNickelodeon or Nick for short is a British television channel available on Sky Digital, Virgin Media, Tiscali TV and UPC Ireland. The channel was launched on 1 September 1993...
(26,000 a 2.0% share). The channel peaked at 16:30 with
BratzBratz is a computer-animated television series, based on a line of toy dolls of the same name. It is produced by Mike Young Productions and MGA Entertainment, and premiered on the Fox 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:
CBBCCBBC is the brand name used for the BBC's children's television programmes, and currently specifically refers to those programmes aimed at children between the ages of 6 and 12...
0.6,
Cartoon NetworkCartoon Network or CN for short is a television channel available on Sky Digital, Virgin Media, Tiscali TV and UPC Ireland. Distributed by Turner Broadcasting, the channel primarily shows animated programming and was launched on 17 September 1993 in the United Kingdom and Ireland.-History:The...
0.4, Boomerang 0.4% and
CBeebiesCBeebies is a television channel produced by the BBC aimed at children 6 years and under. First launched on 11 February 2002, it is broadcast as both a free-to-air domestic British television channel, and as international variants supported by advertising, subscription or both.The channel has been...
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 06:00 and 18:00.
Programming
Programming between 06:00 and 09:25 is controlled by
GMTVGMTV 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
GMTV2GMTV2 is a British 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 . It is designed to complement its sister channel GMTV, and offers children's programming every day and it is simulcasted weekdays on...
on weekdays.
ITVITV is a public service network of British commercial television broadcasters, set up under the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC. ITV is the oldest commercial television network in the UK...
takes over at 09:25, 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
BratzBratz is a computer-animated television series, based on a line of toy dolls of the same name. It is produced by Mike Young Productions and MGA Entertainment, and premiered on the Fox 4Kids TV television programming block on September 10, 2005....
,
LouieLouie may refer to:*Louie , the 2008 debut single of rapper Blood Raw*Louie the Laker, the official mascot of Grand Valley State University* Louie the Lumberjack, the mascot of Northern Arizona University* Louie the Bear, the current mascot of the St...
,
PazPaz may refer to:*PAZ, an acronym for Permanent Autonomous Zone*Paz Oil Company Ltd., an Israeli fuel company*Paz the Penguin, a children's television series*Paz, a British children's television series on CITV*Spanish for peace...
,
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 voicing over. Animal Spies! is currently on its second series...
,
My Life as a PopatMy 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. The second series brings a change to storyline, with brainbox Chetan Popat sometimes taking centre stage...
and
Teenage Mutant Ninja TurtlesTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is an American, Japanese and Korean animated series, mainly set in New York City. It first aired on February 8, 2003 and ended on February 28, 2009...
. 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 ShowdownThe 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.-Overview of the show:...
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: ExtraThe 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.-Overview of the show:...
aired at 11:30 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 AangAvatar: The Last Airbender was a American animated television series that aired for three seasons on Nickelodeon and the Nicktoons Network. The series was created and produced by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, who served as executive producers along with Aaron Ehasz...
,
SpongeBob SquarePantsSpongeBob SquarePants is an American animated television series and media franchise. It is currently Nickelodeon's highest rated show, the most distributed property of MTV Networks, and among Nicktoons Network's most-watched shows...
(and others) are produced by and airs on
NickelodeonNickelodeon or Nick for short is a British television channel available on Sky Digital, Virgin Media, Tiscali TV and UPC Ireland. The channel was launched on 1 September 1993...
.
GMTVGMTV 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
DisneyThe Walt Disney Company , often simply known as Disney, is the largest media and entertainment conglomerate in the world, known for its family-friendly products...
.
The CITV Channel had brought some programmes back that had not been on CITV for a few years including
ZZZap!Zzzap is a British children's television programme that was aimed primarily at deaf children. The concept of the show was a giant comic that has been brought to life. The show ran from 8 January 1993 until 21 September 2001, and was produced by The Media Merchants and Meridian Broadcasting...
,
Rupert BearRupert 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 English artist Mary Tourtel and first appeared in the Daily Express on 8 November 1920. Rupert's initial purpose was to grab sales from the rival...
,
Harry and the WrinkliesHarry and the Wrinklies was a children's television series which produced three series between 1999 and 2002. The show was produced by Scottish TV and SMG TV Productions that aired on CITV. It was based on a novel of the same name by Alan Temperley. It starred Nick Robinson as the title role...
,
Sir Gadabout: The Worst Knight in the LandSir Gadabout: The Worst Knight In The Land was a British children's comedy television programme, broadcast on CITV. It originally aired between February 11 2002 and May 9 2003.- Overview :...
,
Big Meg Little Meg,
Wolves, Witches and GiantsWolves Witches and Giants, narrated by Spike Milligan, is a children's cartoon series of humorous adaptations of classic fairy tales, featuring a collection of villains including the Big Bad Wolf as a wily wolf, a wicked witch and an enormous giant. It was written by musician Ed Welch, based on an...
,
Sooty HeightsSooty Heights is a British children's television series that aired on ITV from September 27th 1999-December 11th 2000. It replaces Sooty & Co that was presented by Mathew Corbett from 1993-1998. Corbett retired after selling the rights to Sooty....
, the 1998/99 series of
The WomblesThe Wombles are pointy-nosed, furry creatures that live in burrows, where they help the environment by collecting and recycling rubbish in useful and ingenious ways. Wombles were created by author Elisabeth Beresford, originally appearing in a series of children's novels from 1968...
and
The Adventures of Paddington BearThe Adventures of Paddington Bear is a Canadian/French animated childrens television series. It was based on the book Paddington Bear by Michael Bond and written by Bruce Robb. It was produced by Cinar and Protecrea...
. 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.
Toon Base
Toon Base is a weekend morning block featuring only animated programming from 09:25, which replaced
Holly and Stephen's Saturday Showdown. The schedule contains
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Fast Forward,
Planet SketchPlanet Sketch is a 15-minute television show aimed at children, with each episode featuring an assortment of sketches. It is produced by Aardman Animations.- Sketches :...
,
Horrid HenryHorrid Henry is a fictional character created by Francesca Simon and illustrated by Tony Ross. The first Horrid Henry book was written and published in 1994 by Orion Books and as of the end of 2009, there have been eighteen titles published, as well as numerous collections, activity books and joke...
,
SupernormalSupernormal 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. It was animated by Fatkat Animation, a Canadian animation studio...
,
BratzBratz 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 BettyAtomic Betty is a Canadian 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 Métropole 6 and Télétoon in France....
.
From 8 February 2008 the strand broadcasted until 12:00, adding
Atomic BettyAtomic Betty is a Canadian 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 Métropole 6 and Télétoon in France....
and
Four Eyes!Four Eyes! is a children's Cartoon series, currently showing on the Nicktoons network.-Plot Summary:The series centers around an alien girl called Emma, who is sent to earth by her parents to repeat the fifth grade. The show was created by Darryl Kluskowski. "Four Eyes!" is a co-production between...
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 AttackArt Attack was a British children's television series revolving around art. It was one of ITV's longest running programmes, running from 1990 until 2007. It was presented throughout by Neil Buchanan...
,
Finger TipsFinger 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 CreaturesBrilliant 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.
Since 8 February 2008, the strand has broadcasted from 12:00 to 13:00, but keeps 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
ITVITV is a public service network of British commercial television broadcasters, set up under the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC. ITV is the oldest commercial television network in the UK...
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 12:00 and 16:00.
Marathon Weekends
Marathon weekends were when the CITV Channel showed 2 hours of one particular show. Previous blocks include:
BratzBratz is a computer-animated television series, based on a line of toy dolls of the same name. It is produced by Mike Young Productions and MGA Entertainment, and premiered on the Fox 4Kids TV television programming block on September 10, 2005....
,
Horrid HenryHorrid Henry is a fictional character created by Francesca Simon and illustrated by Tony Ross. The first Horrid Henry book was written and published in 1994 by Orion Books and as of the end of 2009, there have been eighteen titles published, as well as numerous collections, activity books and joke...
and
Grizzly Tales for Gruesome KidsGrizzly 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. Grizzly Tales for Gruesome Kids, Ghostly Tales for Ghastly Kids, Fearsome Tales for Fiendish Kids...
.
Marathon weekends were broadcast weekends between 09:25 and 11:25. 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 HenryHorrid Henry is a fictional character created by Francesca Simon and illustrated by Tony Ross. The first Horrid Henry book was written and published in 1994 by Orion Books and as of the end of 2009, there have been eighteen titles published, as well as numerous collections, activity books and joke...
, broadcast on 5 May 2008 between 9:25 and closedown at 18:00.
Horrid Henry's Power Hour
Horrid Henry's Power Hour was an hour of
Horrid HenryHorrid Henry is a fictional character created by Francesca Simon and illustrated by Tony Ross. The first Horrid Henry book was written and published in 1994 by Orion Books and as of the end of 2009, there have been eighteen titles published, as well as numerous collections, activity books and joke...
, broadcast weekdays between 15:30 and 16:30. This slot was broadcast between 2007 & 2008.
The Battle for The Beaster Egg
The Battle for The Beaster Egg
was the main theme of the Easters holidays on CITV in 2009 where Chicks & Rabbits would go head to head to win over the Beaster Egg (a giant chocolate egg).
No Boys/No Girls Allowed
No Boys/No Girls Allowed was a slot used on both Saturday and Sunday afternoons from 2:30 to 6:00 throughout the summer holidays of 2009. Saturdays it would be 'No Girls Allowed' where they show programmes mainly that boys would watch such as
Horrid HenryHorrid Henry is a fictional character created by Francesca Simon and illustrated by Tony Ross. The first Horrid Henry book was written and published in 1994 by Orion Books and as of the end of 2009, there have been eighteen titles published, as well as numerous collections, activity books and joke...
and
My Goldfish is EvilMy Goldfish is Evil is a Canadian television cartoon, that airs on CBC Television, as well as the U.S. version of CBC. The show tells the adventures of a boy, Beanie, and his pet goldfish, Admiral Bubbles. The anthropomorphic goldfish has dreams of reigning terror on the city and of world domination...
. And on Sundays it would be 'No Boys Allowed' where they would show programmes mainly watched by girls such as
BratzBratz is a popular line of fashion dolls and related merchandise designed by Carter Bryant and manufactured by southern California toy company MGA Entertainment...
,
Atomic BettyAtomic Betty is a Canadian 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 Métropole 6 and Télétoon in France....
and
Britannia HighBritannia High was a British musical drama television series co-produced by ITV Productions and Globe Productions for the ITV network. The series focused on the lives of a group of teenagers and their mentors at a fictional London theatre school. It aired on the ITV and TV3 Ireland, premiering on...
.
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 2006 rebrand on their website, complete with a caption showing the Freeview number (75) underneath it. Since the rebrand, 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.
Online Streaming
It was revealed in the CITV newsletter released on Friday 29 August, that the CITV Channel would be broadcasting simultaneously on the CITV website. The channel is now broadcasting online between 09:25 and 18:00, (without broadcasting the programming from
GMTVGMTV 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...
between 06:00 & 09:25).