ITV to Close CITV Channel

A true end of an era is upon us: ITV is closing it's CITV linear TV channel, thus ending the iconic Children's ITV brand, which has given us such iconic shows as Thomas the Tank Engine, Sooty, How 2, Tugs, Press Gang, Spatz, Mike & Angelo, Knightmare, Rainbow, Fun House, Finders Keepers (UK), Art Attack, Rosie & Jim, Wizadora, ZZZap! and so many more classics, as well as weekend blocks such as Ghost Train, Wacaday, Motormouth and SMTV Live, and has aired quite a bit of Nickelodeon programming over the years, such as SpongeBob SquarePants, Hey Arnold!, Rugrats and You Can't Do That on Television,

In a major blow to kids TV in the U.K., ITV will move children's programming to ITVX Kids, a new dedicated destination for kids on ITV's ITVX streaming service, set to launch in July 2023. Following the launch of ITVX Kids, ITV will close the CITV channel during Autumn 2023.

ITV to supercharge kids offering on ITVX

ITVX Kids to launch in Summer 2023

ITV today announces the launch of a new dedicated destination for kids on ITVX - ITVX Kids - with more content than ever before, across a range of titles appealing to both school age and pre-school age children.

Launching in July 2023, and rolling out across the school summer holiday period, the new consolidated children’s offering will also see ITV taking its approach to 6-12s content, streaming-only, from early Autumn 2023.

ITVX Kids is part of ITV’s continuing drive to supercharge its presence in streaming, delivering content to audiences however they want to watch it. BARB viewing data demonstrates that while the average amount of broadcast TV minutes of kids TV channels watched by 4-15 year olds per week has declined by -62% since 2019, unmatched* viewing has risen by +30% in the same period, demonstrating the streaming first trend in kids viewing.

The Kids ITVX homepage, accessed within a child-safe ITVX Kids profile, will bring together over 100 brilliant titles in a dedicated homepage, with over 1000 hours of programming to choose from, a near doubling of the current offer, with curated rails and collections.

The curated collections will feature a wide range of titles, including brand new programmes dropping monthly on the service, from July 2023. This new content will span a wide-range of genres and subjects including comedy, gameshows, live action, animation and sport and sourced from a broad spectrum of distributors from small Independents as well as regional UK suppliers.

Craig Morris, Managing Editor of ITVX said:

“We’re really excited to launch this dedicated destination for kids on ITVX, which will be home to a wealth of content including new series, recognisable brands and existing favourites for a range of ages, all in one child-safe area, with editorial curation to guide viewing. The wealth of content will be available to stream for free, with the option for parents to choose ad free viewing, through a subscription to ITVX Premium.”

The exciting range of new shows will complement existing favourites, including Lloyd of the Flies, Lily’s Driftwood Bay, Claude, Mumfie, Mystery Lane and The Rubbish World of Dave Spud, which will also be available on ITVX Kids.

Brand new episodes of The Rubbish World of Dave Spud are commissioned for broadcast in 2024 and they will be premiered on ITVX.  

ITVX Kids will also have some much-loved British brands, including the animated series of Mr Bean, and for younger pre-school children, TeleTubbies Let's Go, Sooty and Bob The Builder amongst other titles.

Commissions that ITV was able to greenlight, thanks to funding from the BFI Young Audiences Content Fund which ran until 2022, will also appear on ITVX Kids. These include sustainable arts and craft series Makeaway Takeaway, HOW, highlighting amazing facts, science and historical stories in a fun, fast paced, hands on format, The Sound Collector an animated series narrated by Keira Knightley, about a little boy who has a passion for sound despite being hard of hearing and Happy The Hoglet - which helps pre-schoolers navigate those big emotional rollercoasters that comes with being young.

Accessibility for all children who want to enjoy content is a big priority for ITVX. The ambition is for 100% of content to be subtitled on ITVX Kids, with around 20% of the content on ITVX Kids audio described, and the offering will also include British Sign Language original programming such as Mission Employable and Daremaster, produced by Signpost productions.

As a consequence of this new streaming approach, and responding to the changing ways children and their parents are increasingly accessing content, the CITV broadcast channel will close in early Autumn, once the new streaming destination for kids has been rolled out across platforms and devices, over the summer holidays.   However, ITV will maintain the LittleBe pre-school segment on ITVBe and will offer some children’s content in the early mornings on ITV2 from September with strong cross promotion to ITVX.

[end]

Notes to Editors:

*Unmatched viewing = TV set viewing that BARB cannot identify, including gaming, viewing of DVDs, unreferenced channels, SVOD/AVOD and video-sharing services etc. Please note that SVOD/AVOD and video-sharing services have been identifiable by BARB since 2022, but are still included in this definition of unmatched.

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More Nick: Nickelodeon's 'SpongeBob SquarePants' Universe Expands Again with Four New Movies!

Paramount+ UK & Ireland is HERE! Stream a Mountain of Entertainment, including your Nickelodeon favourites! Try it FREE at ParamountPlus.com!

Paramount+ is also available with Sky Cinema at no extra cost.

More Nick: Gareth Gates and Divina De Campo to Headline 'The SpongeBob Musical' Tour of the UK & Ireland!

H/T: TVKIDS, r/CasualUK; CITV logo via Logopedia.

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Paramount's Channel 5 in Bid to Scuttle Longer Ad Breaks on Rival ITV

Easing restrictions could ‘dampen revenues’ for smaller channels, industry body says

Channel 5 is spearheading a bid to scupper longer television ad breaks on ITV over concerns the move would hand its rival a £150m revenue boost.

Regulator Ofcom is reviewing whether to relax limits on advert breaks for public service broadcasters (PSBs) from an average of seven to nine minutes per hour to reflect growing competition from streaming services, The Telegraph is reporting

The current rules, which were imposed more than 30 years ago, are tougher for the public service broadcasters – ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5 – than for their commercial rivals.

However, Channel 5, which is owned by US media giant Paramount, is among a group of channels opposing the easing of restrictions, citing concerns the move could push down prices and give ITV a competitive advantage.

In a submission to Ofcom, industry body COBA, which counts Channel 5 among its members, warned that ITV “could potentially increase its volume of advertising in order to dampen revenues for the rest of the sector and thereby derive a competitive advantage”.

COBA added: “This would in turn risk harming viewer choice by undermining the ability of smaller channels to compete, as well as reducing their ability to raise investment for new UK content.”

In its own submission, Paramount said: “We would anticipate that the proposed changes… will simply move ad-spend away from smaller broadcasters towards the largest commercial PSBs,” adding that the move “would likely reinforce the position of ITV’s main network”.

COBA cited estimates showing the market as a whole could be £300m worse off a year due to deflation, with the non-public service broadcasting sector taking a £186m hit.

Channel 5's latest filings show revenues of £295m in 2020, compared to the £3.5bn ITV pulled in last year.

ISBA, another industry group representing brand owners, added that the change could result in a two percentage-point swing in the share of advert viewing from Sky’s media arm to ITV, equating to as much as £150m of market share. 

ITV dismissed these concerns, saying it only wanted to increase advertising during peak times, with the overall length of breaks staying constant over the day.

The I’m A Celebrity broadcaster said that while longer ad breaks would push down prices for PSBs, price and demand on other commercial channels would remain constant. It added that the changes could initially be introduced for a trial period.

ITV said: “The current rules are acting as an unnecessary barrier, reducing the efficiency of the commercial PSB model to no audience benefit and hampering commercial TV’s efforts to compete with global streamers and other global players. 

“Put simply, reform of the rules could help both the PSBs and the wider television industry to better compete in this new landscape.”

ITV also argued that the changes would allow PSBs to invest more in original content amid tough competition from deep-pocketed streaming rivals.

Yet other commercial broadcasters insisted the resulting fall in ad revenues would hit their own ability to invest.

UKTV, a subsidiary of the BBC’s commercial arm which operates channels such as Gold and Dave, said the impact on ad revenues would be equivalent to cutting up to 20pc of its annual commissioning budget – or eliminating original commissioning for one or two of its channels.

The row opens up a new battleground as regulators and broadcasters grapple with changing viewing habits and the rise of the likes of Netflix, Disney and Amazon.

ITV this week launched its new streaming platform, ITVX, which it hopes will capture new and younger audiences, whilst Paramount launched Paramount+ earlier this year, bringing a mountain of local and internationally-produced entertainment to audiences of all ages.

The Government is also expected to overhaul rules in its delayed media bill to protect public service broadcasters from streaming rivals by ensuring they have a prominent position across digital platforms.

Channel 5, which broadcasts programmes including All Creatures Great And Small, and the morning preschool programming strand Milkshake!, was bought by Nickelodeon owner Viacom - now Paramount Global - former owner Richard Desmond in a £450m deal in 2014.

The takeover marked a major move into the UK free-to-air TV market for the US broadcaster, which also owns MTV and Comedy Central.

Paramount+ UK & Ireland is HERE! Stream a Mountain of Entertainment, including your Nickelodeon favourites! Try it FREE at ParamountPlus.com!

More Nick: The SpongeBob Musical To Tour The UK & Ireland During Spring/Summer 2023!

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New Study Finds That Nick Jr. Offers the Most Educational Content in the UK

Home-schooling has become something of the norm given lockdown and there’s some TV channels out there that can help make things a little easier, thanks to their educational content.

As of early January, England has been plunged into its third national lockdown, with schools being ordered to close until further notice and reports revealing they could remain shut until after Easter.

The closures lead to BBC making the decision to air three hours worth of educational content each day while school children are forced to stay home. However, there are a number of channels offering learning opportunities through educational programmes, with Nick Jr., Nickelodeon's top-rated channel for preschoolers, topping them all when it comes to the amount of such content available.

Nick Jr. has a huge amount of children’s shows set to get kids thinking and learning simultaneously whilst watching, including much-loved favourites Peppa Pig, Blue's Clues & You!, PAW Patrol, Blaze and the Monster Machines, The Adventures of Paddington, and Deer Squad, and to help support homeschooling.

In total, Nick Jr. airs just over 8 hours of educational content per day. Meanwhile, CBeebies airs four hours worth of educational content each day. Over on Freeview, nine-and-a-half hours worth of educational content is available across a number of channels, including CBeebies, CBBC and Channel 5's Milkshake!.

CBBC closely following with three hours and 38 minutes worth and Channel 5 airing just over an hour-and-a-half of educational programmes.

Channels that fall shorter when it comes to educational content are BBC Two, with just an hour’s worth, CITV, that only shares 11 minutes of onscreen learning, and Sony-owned channel Pop that recorded nothing at all. The survey, carried out by Cable.co.uk, also looked into educational content available on streaming platforms, with children’s shows on Netflix revealed to be 24% more educational that Amazon Prime (18%) and Disney Plus (16%).

More Nick: 'Baby Shark’s Big Show!' to Swim onto Nick Jr. UK in May 2021!

Original source: Metro.

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GoldBee Sends ToonMarty to Italy and YouTube

Montreal-based Sardine Production’s popular animated comedy series ToonMarty has been picked up by Discovery Networks Italy (Italia) in a deal brokered by Barcelona-based distributor GoldBee. The 40 x 11-minute series will air on Discovery’s free-to-air (FTA) Italian channel K2 starting later this spring.

GoldBee has also signed a deal with DHX Media’s digital kids network WildBrain to launch and develop ToonMarty content on YouTube.

Produced by Sardine Productions with support from the Bell Fund, the Canadian Media Fund, the the Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit (CPTC), the Shaw Rocket Fund and the Société de Développement des Entreprises Culturelles (SODEC), the series was originally commissioned by Corus Entertainment for its French and English TELETOON networks, where it premiered in May 2017. It was then picked up by France Télévisions’ France 4 channel and Nickelodeon for its international channels and digital platforms, excluding North America, China and Japan. The show will also begin airing on CITV in the UK later this year.

Christophe Goldberger, GoldBee’s managing director (MD), remarked: “With these new partners on board, ToonMarty is present on A-list platforms in most major European territories. The launch of the brand on YouTube will help grow the fan base globally. We are now looking to secure new partners for the merchandising activities of ToonMarty.”

Ghislain Cyr, the president of Sardine Productions and producer of ToonMarty, added: “We are delighted by the success of the series. It is always exciting to know that our work touches audiences from around the world.”

In Toonville, where all cartoons live, Marty is the only employee at Toonmart and he loves to stick his nose in everybody’s business, often leading to zany adventures. ToonMarty was developed in tandem with an interactive online game entitled Marty’s Special Delivery that charges players with serving the eccentric customers who inhabit Toonville.

More Nick: Nickelodeon Greenlights New Original Animated Comedy Series 'Pony' | Nick Upfront 2018!

Sources: Kidscreen, TVKIDS, C21 Media.

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UK: CITV Picks Up Rights To "ToonMarty"

Barcelona-based distributor GoldBee has licensed ToonMarty, an animated comedy series made by Montreal's Sardine Productions, to CITV, the free-to-air (FTA) kids channel operated by ITV in the UK.

ToonMarty takes place in Toonville, where all cartoons live. The 40×11-minute show centers on Toonmart employee Marty, who is always sticking his nose in everyone else’s business. It was originally commissioned by Corus Entertainment for its French and English TELETOON networks and debuted on both channels in Canada last May.

The deal follows the recent pick up by Nickelodeon, which took it for its international channels and catch-up services around the world, excluding North America, China and Japan. Nickelodeon started to roll out the show on Nickelodeon's international channels last May.

Christophe Goldberger, GoldBee’s managing director, commented: “We are happy to see ToonMarty expand its presence with such a great partner as CITV. The tone of this outstanding comedy resonates with kids globally, combining hilarious slapstick elements with witty dialogues.”

Darren Nartey, ITV’s program acquisitions executive, noted: “We are delighted to be the home of ToonMarty in the U.K. It is a great comedy with fantastic animation, which will appeal to CITV’s core audience.”

Ghislain Cyr, president and producer at Sardine Productions, added: “We are delighted to count CITV amongst our partners. This is so rewarding for all of us at Sardine to know that kids from the U.K. and all around the world will be watching our series and hopefully have a good laugh!”

It is currently unclear whether Nicktoons UK & Ireland will still air the series.

The property has been supported by The Bell Fund, The Canadian Media Fund, the Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit (CPTC), The Shaw Rocket Fund and the Société de Développement des Entreprises Culturelles (SODEC).

Sources: TVKIDS, TBI Vision, C21 Media.

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UK: CITV To Premiere "Make It Pop" On Monday 10th July 2017

CITV, the free-to-air kids (FTA) channel operated by ITV in the UK, will start to air the first season of Nickelodeon's hit musical comedy series Make It Pop from Monday 10th July 2017 at 5:00pm, as part of the channels "Big Up Your Summer" programming initiative!

What do an aspiring pop diva, a fashionista and a book worm have in common? Music!

Make It Pop is a comedic, music-infused daily strip about three unique girls who come together to start their own K-Pop-inspired band. Randomly selected to room together at boarding school, bookish Corki (Erika Tham), fashion-forward Jodi (Louriza Tronco) and social media maven Sun Hi (Megan Lee) meet and bond over music. With the help of fellow classmate and aspiring DJ, Caleb (Dale Whibley), the girls grow from roommates to bandmates as their group, XO-IQ, becomes a school-wide sensation.

In the series premiere of Make It Pop, "Rumours and Roommates" ("Rumors & Roommates", #101), Sun Hi and Jodi start life at MacKendrick Prep boarding school with big expectations and bigger dreams. All of which might unravel because of a secret Corki refuses to reveal!

The series (40 episodes over two seasons, plus one special), which features original songs and performances in every episode, is co-created by Thomas W. Lynch and Nick Cannon and produced by DHX Media.

Pictured: (L-R) Jodi (Louriza Tronco), Sun Hi (Meghan Lee) and Corki (Erika Tham) in the new live-action series, Make It Pop, coming to Nickelodeon in the 2015-16 season. Photo Credit: Nickelodeon. ©2015 Viacom International, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Visit nick.co.uk/makeitpop to find out more about the show, watch exclusive video clips and play fantastic games!

More Nick: Nickelodeon UK To Premiere New Movie "Bruno & Boots: This Can’t be Happening at Macdonald Hall" On Friday 21st July 2017!

Sources: CITV's "Big Up Your Summer" trailer, Digiguide, ITV.com; Additional sources: RegularCapital.com, Wikipedia, Make It Pop Wiki.

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UK TV Presenter Holly Willoughby Shares "PAW Patrol" Clip On Instagram

ITV This Morning presenter Holly Willoughby has shared a PAWsome Instagram video of her son enjoying preschool franchise PAW Patrol. Nickelodeon's number-one CG-animated preschool series is currently airing in 160 countries and territories around the world.

PAW Patrol is a recent winner of the UK Toy Industry Awards, where it was awarded Pre-School Toy of the Year for the PAW Patrol PAW Patroller and License of the Year for PAW Patrol. The range of toys by Spin Master are synonymous with creativity, innovation and fun.

In the short video posted on the star’s official Instagram account, @hollywilloughby, Chester can be heard naming the characters featured on a toy, and then completes the show’s catchphrase "PAW Patrol is on a... ROLL!" when prompted by mum Holly.

UK's CITV Acquires Free-To-Air Broadcast Rights To "Deadtime Stories" From DHX Media

DHX Media, a leading independent creator, producer, distributor and licensor of children's entertainment content, has announced in the following press release, from Canada NewsWire (CNW), that the Canadian media company has licensed its TV series "Deadtime Stories" (10x30mins) to CITV, the children's television arm of the free-to-air British commercial public service TV network ITV! "Deadtime Stories" recently debuted on Nickelodeon USA on Thursday 3rd October 2013. It is currently unknown if Nickelodeon's international channels, including Nickelodeon UK and Ireland/HD, are also planning to show the horror/fantasy-themed anthology television series.

"Deadtime Stories" is a all-new single-camera show which stars Jennifer Stone ("Wizards of Waverly Place") as "The Babysitter", who shares stories from her collection of creepy tales with children every week. "Deadtime Stories" is based on the popular eponymous children's book series, and chronicles kids' eerie encounters, from hauntings to monsters to supernatural occurrences.

In each episode of "Deadtime Stories", kids embark on different thrilling adventures with ghostly tales, including a grave with something unusual buried inside, a wishing game gone awry and a magic kit with irreversible tricks. The series is created by the Hillenbrand brothers and the Cascone sisters and distributed by DHX Media. David and Scott Hillenbrand have a long track record across multiple genres including extensive work on hit kids shows such as "Spider-Man (Animated)", "Sweet Valley High" and "Power Rangers", while Annette and Gina Cascone have an equally long track record of writing spine tingling tales for middle grade and young adult readers.

The property is based on the popular "Deadtime Stories" book series written by the Cascones, originally included 17 titles and has sold over 2 million copies. It is has been republished and released in hardcover, paperback and digital by major publisher Tor Books/Starscape, a division of the Macmillan Group, in addition to being carried by Scholastic.

Josh Scherba, Senior Vice President (SVP) distribution at DHX Media, told Licensing.biz that "Deadtime Stories" is "performing supernaturally well on Nickelodeon in the US"!

The "Deadtime Stories" television series adaptation is developed by Hill & Brand Kids and Mantooth Films.

Original DHX Media Press Release:

DHX Media Licences 'Deadtime Stories' to UK Broadcaster

HALIFAX, Nov. 1, 2013 /CNW/ - DHX Media, a leading independent creator, producer, distributor and licensor of children's entertainment content, has licensed its TV series Deadtime Stories to CITV in the UK. Deadtime Stories debuted in the US earlier this month on Nickelodeon.

The property is based on the book series of the same name, written by Annette and Gina Cascone, which originally included 17 titles and has sold over 2 million copies. It has been republished and released in hardcover, paperback and digital by major publisher Tor Books/Starscape, a division of the Macmillan Group, in addition to being carried by Scholastic.

About DHX Media
DHX Media (www.dhxmedia.com) is a leader in the creation, production and licensing of family entertainment rights. DHX Media owns, markets and distributes 9,500 half hours of children's entertainment content, and exploits owned properties through its consumer products licensing business. DHX Media is recognized for brands such as Yo Gabba Gabba!, Caillou, Teletubbies, In the Night Garden, Inspector Gadget, Johnny Test and Super WHY!. DHX Media's full-service international licensing agency, Copyright Promotions Licensing Group, (CPLG), represents numerous entertainment, sport and design brands. DHX Media has offices in Toronto, Los Angeles, Vancouver, Halifax, London, Paris, Barcelona, Milan, Munich and Amsterdam and is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange.

SOURCE DHX Media Ltd.

For further information:

Enquires:
David A. Regan - EVP, Corporate Development & IR
+1 902-423-0260

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Also, from Licensing.biz:

DHX Media brings Deadtime Stories to UK screens on CITV

US show based on a book series that has sold more than two million copies

DHX Media has licensed the UK free-to-air TV rights to live action series Deadtime Stories (10x30’) to CITV.

Deadtime Stories is a live action kids and tweens programme starring Jennifer Stone of Wizards of Waverly Place.

She stars as a babysitter tells a new chilling chapter of her spooky story collection in each episode.

"We are very excited to have secured Deadtime Stories for broadcast on CITV," said Jamila Metran, head of programming for CITV.

"The spooky live action series has proved to be internationally popular and we believe CITV is the perfect UK home for the programme."

The show, based on a book series that has sold more than two million copies, debuted in the US earlier this month on Nickelodeon.

"Deadtime Stories is an eerily good live action series with a strong literary history and a creative team with an impressive track record," said Josh Scherba, SVP distribution at DHX Media.

"It is performing supernaturally well on Nickelodeon in the US and we anticipate it will similarly captivate UK fans...just don't watch it in the dark."

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Update: Nickelodeon UK May Launch Local Version Of Nick App Soon

Important Update (16th July 2013) - Unfortunately, the article which NickALive! got the Nickelodeon UK News from accidentally posted some incorrect news. Nickelodeon UK have confirmed to NickALive! that Tim Patterson, the Vice President (VP) of scheduling at Nickelodeon UK, did indeed speak about comedy content being at the heart of Nickelodeon and that Nick have recently worked on a co-pro with Sky HD, "Jordan & Perri's Ultimate Block Party". However, the new show Tim referred to is neither a comedy nor a co-pro and he didn't state the news during his "Meet the Commissioners" panel at the 2013 Children's Media Conference. Apologies for any inconvenience caused.

The television industry news website TBI Vision is reporting the very exciting Nickelodeon UK news in the following article that Tim Patterson, the Vice President (VP) of scheduling at Nickelodeon UK has announced that Nickelodeon UK will be announcing a brand new comedy series, which will be a international co-production, in the next few weeks! Tim said Nickelodeon was after "original, comedy-driven content", "fresh ideas, new characters and concepts and funny stories" with comedy at the heart in both and short-long form, with shorter run concepts maybe trialled up on an upcoming Nick App before making the transition to TV, he added, which could suggest that Nickelodeon could launch the Nick App in the UK very soon!:

CiTV, Nick UK look for new laffers

UK commercial children’s channels CiTV and Nickelodeon UK are both seeking to add new comedies to their schedules, as the genre continues to attract young audiences.

CiTV is chasing shows for 6-11s in the same vein as My Parents are Aliens and My Phone Genie following a decision to move away from preschool programming earlier this year.

“Comedy is currently an ITV focus across all digital channels and our primary focus for children’s. We have available slots for commissions to air in quarter four of 2014 and we’re looking at strong live-action comedy. Our priority is sitcom or comedy drama,” said CiTV’s programming head Jamila Metran [...].

Having aged up its content, CiTV will also seek to find a new factual entertainment series with a “playground chatter factor”.

“We haven’t focused much on it in the past couple of years… [but] ultimately we want something different that turns into a talking point.”

Pay TV channel Nickelodeon, meanwhile will announce another international coproduction “in the next few weeks” said VP and director of programming, Tim Patterson [...].

He said Nickelodeon was after “original, comedy-driven content”, “fresh ideas, new characters and concepts and funny stories” with comedy at the heart in both and short-long form. Shorter run concepts could be trialled up on an upcoming Nick App before making the transition to TV, he added.

What kind of new show would you like to see on Nickelodeon? Let NickALive! know now on Twitter, Tumblr, Google+, and/or Facebook, where you can also follow and like NickALive! to receive the latest Nick UK News!