CITV is to close - Printable Version

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+--- Thread: CITV is to close (/showthread.php?tid=384)

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RE: CITV is to close - interestednovice - 20-08-2023

(20-08-2023, 07:18 PM)Andrew Wrote:  It’s like when Neighbours was axed. That was beloved and there were loads of memories but nobody had watched it for about 20 years

It’s notable that all the CITV memories in these articles seem to hark from when it was a strand on ITV rather than a stand alone channel

It’s quite noticeable that there’s a lot of conflation apparent between CITV (the strand) and “the CITV Channel” (perhaps understandable due to the branding).

I’m sure ITV would, with some validity, make the point that they evolve with changing audience expectations - so they started with a segment on their main channel, back in the early 5 channel era; grew that into a dedicated channel as CITV’s primary (and later only) outlet in the digital multichannel era; now linear is in decline they are moving with the times again and putting that content On Demand with a linear “shop window” on ITV 1 and ITV 2. Alongside this they have a FAST channel available which will remove the need to “pick something to watch” as you usually have to do with On Demand.

It’s a fair point and, they would say, CITV to ITVX Kids is nothing more than a branding change - the service, albeit in an evolved state, effectively continues.

It’s a pity there’s no more of a commitment to a linear service in terms of hours and a fixed schedule, but it’s also probably going to be a sufficient offering based on the information we have so far.

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RE: CITV is to close - Rex - 21-08-2023

(20-08-2023, 04:43 PM)LouBlu08 Wrote:  I feel like ITV have done a poor job about telling people that CITV’s closing. There’s no promo or graphic telling people it’s being shuttered and the ITVX Kids promo barely mentions CITV. I know that they hardly give that much of a hoot about the channel as it's been stuck on automation for ages but I still think you should at least tell people the channel's closing without it being on some random news site.

ITV have had recent form for this, when they shuttered Encore the only way you would know the channel was closing was through the original announcement in November 2017 and the continuity announcements towards the end. 

With CITV they are going all in with ITVX Kids promotion but not making a mention of the channel which really says a lot about how ITV feels about it.

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RE: CITV is to close - Stooky Bill - 21-08-2023

(20-08-2023, 08:05 PM)Technologist Wrote:  The 10th March no less
https://www.itv.com/presscentre/media-releases/itv-supercharge-kids-offering-itvx 
And the guardians reaction
https://www.theguardian.com/media/2023/mar/10/citv-channel-to-close-itv-childrens-television-online-only 
They seem more in the ball than the tabloids!

Although a lot smaller than it once was, The Guardian still has a Media section

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RE: CITV is to close - WillPS - 21-08-2023

(20-08-2023, 08:03 PM)JAS84 Wrote:  Thunderbirds Are Go, which was one of it's rare home based commissions as opposed to imports.

It was made in New Zealand.

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RE: CITV is to close - Brekkie - 21-08-2023

(21-08-2023, 03:21 AM)Rex Wrote:  ITV have had recent form for this, when they shuttered Encore the only way you would know the channel was closing was through the original announcement in November 2017 and the continuity announcements towards the end. 

With CITV they are going all in with ITVX Kids promotion but not making a mention of the channel which really says a lot about how ITV feels about it.

Closures aren't something to brag about really - pushing ITVX Kids is probably the best way to go about it.   Do wonder if scaling it back initially though (such as reverting to the 6pm finish, and perhaps earlier at weekends) would have been better to try and get linear viewers over rather than going from a full channel to nothing.

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RE: CITV is to close - JAS84 - 21-08-2023

(21-08-2023, 09:01 AM)WillPS Wrote:  It was made in New Zealand.

Doesn't matter where it was made, it was specifically made for CITV. The vast majority of their shows weren't.

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RE: CITV is to close - WillPS - 21-08-2023

(21-08-2023, 10:16 AM)JAS84 Wrote:  Doesn't matter where it was made, it was specifically made for CITV. The vast majority of their shows weren't.

Sure, but you said it was a 'home based commission', which isn't accurate. It was also commissioned by ITV Studios with overseas sales in mind, rather than being primarily for CITV; not dissimilar to New Captain Scarlet 15 years before (and labouring the point a little more the original ITC series weren't intended primarily for ATV).

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RE: CITV is to close - Roger Darthwell - 21-08-2023

(21-08-2023, 09:53 AM)Brekkie Wrote:  Closures aren't something to brag about really - pushing ITVX Kids is probably the best way to go about it.   Do wonder if scaling it back initially though (such as reverting to the 6pm finish, and perhaps earlier at weekends) would have been better to try and get linear viewers over rather than going from a full channel to nothing.

In my opinion it would have been better

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RE: CITV is to close - RegularCapital - 21-08-2023

(20-08-2023, 06:57 PM)LouBlu08 Wrote:  Do these tabloids actually do their research?
I looked at a Mirror article on the closedown earlier and they said the channel was “hugely popular”. It might have been back in the day but now only like, what, 2 people are actually watching it.

The tabloids hardly ever do, including this "article" from The Sun that said Cartoon Network in the UK closed in 2014. 
I guess they just read the automatically generated Q&A's Google gives out with search results, which are often wrong or out of context.

https://www.thesun.co.uk/fabulous/18041127/primark-nostalgic-90s-clothing-millennials-wild/ 

A lot of the people in the press (and public) that have nostalgia for CITV most likely watched it when it was an afternoon block on ITV and were already out of the channel's demographic by the time the channel launched. There seems to be very little thought about CITV's current output and what kids want to watch nowadays.

This Sky News article mentions Fraggle Rock, Fun House, Knightmare, Danger Mouse (Original), and Rainbow these shows aired on CITV several years before the channel even existed. https://news.sky.com/story/citv-childrens-tv-channel-will-close-in-september-following-launch-of-itvx-kids-12943766 

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RE: CITV is to close - LouBlu08 - 21-08-2023

Somehow Newsround made a better article about CITV's closure than The Sun... even though they said the channel's been around for 4 decades. https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/66570523 

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