 Logo used since 2013 | |
| Country | United Kingdom Isle of Man Channel Islands Canada |
|---|---|
| Network | ITV (1983–2023) ITV2 (2023–present) |
| Programming | |
| Language(s) | English |
| Picture format | 1080i/1080p HDTV (downscaled to 576i on Freeview, cable and satellite) |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | ITV plc |
| Parent | ITV Digital Channels |
| Sister channels | |
| History | |
| Launched | 3 January 1983 (ITV block) 11 March 2006 (channel) 2 September 2023 (ITV2 block) |
| Closed | 27 August 2023 (ITV block) (40 years, 7 months and 24 days) 1 September 2023 (channel) (17 years, 5 months and 21 days) |
| Links | |
| Website | itv |
| Availability | |
| Terrestrial | |
| Freeview | Channel 203 |
CITV is a British children's morning programming block on ITV2 and formerly a free-to-air channel owned by ITV plc. CITV, then Children's ITV, launched on 3 January 1983 as a late afternoon programming block on the ITV network for children aged 6–12.[notes 1] It replaced the earlier Watch It! branding and introduced networked in-vision[clarification needed] continuity links between programmes. These links were originally pre-recorded from a small London studio up until 1987, when Central won the contract to produce live links from their Birmingham studios. In 2004, presentation of CITV was relocated to Granada Television in Manchester, which saw the demise of in-vision continuity. Nine years later, the operations moved to ITV Granada's MediaCityUK studios in Salford.
In 2006, CITV launched as a digital channel on Freeview. The channel primarily ran repeated ITV content and acquisitions daily from 6:00am to 9:00pm. Following the axing of its original afternoon slot in late 2006, a CITV programming block on the ITV network continued to air on weekend mornings from 6:00 am to 9:25 am as part of the ITV Breakfast time slot. CITV did not have a +1 simulcast, unlike the rest of ITV's portfolio of channels. Additionally, the channel was only simulcast in HD on Sky online and Sky Glass.
On 22 July 2023, ITV launched a new children's hub on the ITVX streaming service, ITVX Kids, previously announced to be an eventual replacement for the CITV channel.[1] At 9:00pm on 1 September 2023, the channel ceased broadcasting, with a promotional loop informing viewers of the move to ITVX. At around 9:02pm, the ITVX loop started airing with a screenbug.[2]
On 2 September 2023, the children's block was moved to feature every morning on ITV2 during breakfast time, from 05:00am to 09:00am. However, it was later shortened to 6:00am to 09:00am. Shows broadcast are sourced from the ITVX Kids streaming service.[3] This strand has retained usage of the pre-existing CITV branding, following the channel's closure.[4]
On 1 October 2023, the CITV channel's 602 Freesat slot was removed, exactly one month after the closure.
Cite error: There are <ref group=notes> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=notes}} template (see the help page).
- ^ Thornham, Marc (22 May 2023). "ITVX Kids launch date announced". RXTV info. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
- ^ "CITV: Children's TV channel will close in September following launch of ITVX Kids". Sky News. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
- ^ "Changes to ITV1 and ITV2 after CITV closure". rxtvinfo. 24 August 2023. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
- ^ Farber, Alex (24 December 2023). "CITV to close this year amid rising popularity of streaming services" – via www.thetimes.co.uk.