ITV set to 'close' a hugely popular channel in scheduling shake up
ITV is reportedly set to axe children's TV channel CITV this autumn, as they're hoping to migrate content to ITVX instead.
CITV has been its own channel since 2006, having previously been known as Children's ITV from 1983, which served as a late afternoon programming block.
But it has been reported that CITV will be no more as it's set to be replaced with ITVX Kids, which aligns with the broadcaster's recent on-demand launch.
ITV has revealed that ITVX Kids will have "more content than ever before, across a range of titles appealing to both school age and pre-school age children".
ITVX Kids officially launched in July but more content is set to migrate over there over the coming months if new reports are anything to go by.
Meanwhile, 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, recognizable brands, and existing favorites for a range of ages, all in one child-safe area, with editorial curation to guide viewing."
The decision to move content comes after BARB viewing data shows 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.
It is not yet known if other ITV channels will be affected by the streaming-first approach, but it's an exciting move for children's programming which the broadcaster has added is part of their "continuing drive to supercharge [ITV's] presence in streaming, delivering content to audiences however they want to watch it".
