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 - steve - 11-03-2023

There’s still an old fashioned view of how these decisions are reported in the media - closing a linear channel doesn’t mean its programmes are disappearing from being watched on a tv, as is so often implied, it just means the way they’re found is different.

We’ll occasionally have CBBC or CBeebies on in the background for our eight and four year olds but the vast majority of what they watch isn’t linear, it’s searched for on Sky Q and played as and when. We consume a huge amount of BBC programmes and they’re watched on television, just on a schedule curated by us not schedulers.

As a child of the era of the Broom Cupboard, do I find that sad? Yes. Is there any reversing the trend away and going back there? No.

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RE: CITV is to close - harshy - 11-03-2023

It’s a shame to hear it’s closing but as a child growing up in the 80s and early 90s we had proper shows, well made, lots of imagination, those days were long gone, although we did get a little reminder with old skool weekend 10 years ago, but things have changed and so has the kids of today who just get their little iPhones out and watch whatever they want on ITVX when they want too

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RE: CITV is to close - Andrew - 11-03-2023

(10-03-2023, 10:48 PM)JAS84 Wrote:  You didn't need the year disambiguator there, as the remake is called Thunderbirds Are Go, not just Thunderbirds.

(10-03-2023, 04:46 PM)XIII Wrote:  A lot of the comments about CITV online are from adults who probably haven't watched CITV in decades.

The Sun's article about it on their website also seems to have rose tinted glasses. They use the early 2000s logo from before the channel existed, and several images from the late 90s era. The current logo and shows don't get a look in! They even have the headline talking about the channel lasting 16 years, yet all the images pre-date it and are from stuff aired on what is now ITV1.

Exactly the same as when Neighbours was axed and every clip and memory was from the Kylie and Jason era and more widely the era broadcast on BBC One. Most commentators hadn’t ever watched it on Channel 5

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RE: CITV is to close - cable - 11-03-2023

(11-03-2023, 01:22 AM)mumu03 Wrote:  

(10-03-2023, 06:35 PM)cable Wrote:  Back when I was younger CITV was great, Fun house, MPAA, ZZZap etc. that 1998-2005 period was exquisite.

BUT CITV hasn't really been great since the ban on junk food advertising 2005. They were limited as they could not set up CITV Ltd which would allow them to properly exploit IP and merchandise the same way BBC WW did with Teletubbies etc.

The channel was late to market, originally envisaged in 2001 as a partnership with NICK, INK never was realised and after mutual backing away the CITV channel launched in 2006. By this time it was placed at the end of the kids section on Cable and Satellite, On Freeview it was placed 3rd. The audience targeting 6-12 narrowed its audience when it previously under 16.

In fairness, I'm not aware of the channel being mapped out as a partnership with Nickelodeon as far back as 2001 -  prior to the latter part of the year CITV still had most of its budget intact, and it wasn't until the first big cuts came in November that the initial plans for a digital channel to get a head start on CBBC were cancelled.

It was the early multichannel era. 2001 would have been when Carlton (who closed their kids channel in 2000) and Granada was running ITV Digital but with that in difficulties and ending May 2002 and an advertising recession. Perhaps not with nickelodeon at that point but certainly under consideration. but this article mentions it plans were dropped - https://www.theguardian.com/media/2001/nov/01/broadcasting4  - perhaps I should have put it as "Originally envisaged in 2001, then as a partnership with NICK, INK never was realised."

I'd guess you would have to treat the channel separately to the afternoon slot on ITV1 which was then protected by its licence requirements.

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RE: CITV is to close - gottago - 11-03-2023

(10-03-2023, 11:44 PM)cable Wrote:  

(10-03-2023, 11:23 PM)ITVMan Wrote:  If you ask me, "ITVX Kids" sounds like a really stupid name. They could've repurposed the CITV brand for the new service rather than dispose of it

Repurpose the CITV brand!? the brand is worthless, they would not have tried to kill if off at the last rebrand if it were salvagable. 

It is quite telling that they’ve ditched the brand altogether. I bet the brand recognition for it amongst kids is low these days. The channel has been trailing behind Pop for quite a few years and they’re both fighting for what must be a diminishing kids linear ad sales market.

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RE: CITV is to close - Kojak - 11-03-2023

(11-03-2023, 05:09 PM)gottago Wrote:  

(10-03-2023, 11:44 PM)cable Wrote:  Repurpose the CITV brand!? the brand is worthless, they would not have tried to kill if off at the last rebrand if it were salvagable. 

It is quite telling that they’ve ditched the brand altogether. I bet the brand recognition for it amongst kids is low these days. The channel has been trailing behind Pop for quite a few years and they’re both fighting for what must be a diminishing kids linear ad sales market.

So what you're saying is... CITV has gottago? (Sorry - couldn't resist  )

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RE: CITV is to close - bilky asko - 11-03-2023

Kids are often quick to move on. Indeed, just a couple of weeks ago I overheard a child of 3 asking for ITVX by name.

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RE: CITV is to close - Allanbuzzy - 11-03-2023

(11-03-2023, 05:58 PM)bilky asko Wrote:  Kids are often quick to move on. Indeed, just a couple of weeks ago I overheard a child of 3 asking for ITVX by name.

Took me ages trying to adjust to the fact Jetix was now Disney XD. Then again, that's probably just because I have ASD, and I react differently to change.

Plus, I still see people calling All4 "4OD", or ITVX as "ITV Hub".

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RE: CITV is to close - JAS84 - 11-03-2023

I can remember the now-closed-down Disney XD's original incarnation, Fox Kids Network. And the fact it launched on Saturday 19th October 1996, meaning it was almost exactly 25 years old when it closed down (just seven weeks short) a couple of years ago. Fox Kids pretty much replaced the Sky One Undun block, as most of Undun's shows moved to the new channel - Undun was dropped as soon as Fox Kids launched, meaning it's version of the second Sky 1 tombstone ident only lasted seven weeks. That's very much like what happened when CITV Channel launched and the block on ITV1 was dropped.

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RE: CITV is to close - Rex - 11-03-2023

Found an interesting statistic on the Times' article covering the CITV closure:

'CITV’s audience was understood to attract less than 5,000 viewers on average.'

If that figure is accurate, that is shockingly low. No wonder why ITV has decided to pull the plug.

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