Big announcements, denials and low-key closedowns. 2024 caught out a number of broadcasters whose plans turned out rather differently.
Amazon started 2024 denying the end for Freevee, only to end the year admitting it was happening. One broadcaster switched a channel to streaming-only, only to abandon the plan months later. Meanwhile, ITV quietly axed a service.
Freevee closing? Oh no it isn’t, oh yes it is
Back in February, reports emerged from the USA that Amazon was considering the end of its free streaming service Freevee.
Freevee, formerly known as IMDb TV, operated as a free, ad-supported alternative to Prime Video in certain countries. It became the home of shows including the new version of Australian soap Neighbours and Judy Justice, the successor to Judge Judy.
Following the arrival of ads to Amazon Prime Video, the lines between Freevee and Prime Video were blurred. Effectively, Amazon was now offering two ad-supported streaming services.
Amazon responded to the reports denying the end of Freevee.
By November, Amazon had changed its tune, confirming Prime Video would be the future home of Freevee shows as Freevee is closed down.
To streaming and back again…
Narrative Entertainment took the big step to move its children’s channel Tiny Pop, a commercial competitor to CBeebies, off traditional broadcast TV platforms. From March, it would continue exclusively as a streaming-only service.
Just five months later, a U-turn was performed and Tiny Pop was back.
Explaining the move, Narrative’s MD, Paul Dunthorne said “a big part of our success is our willingness to try new things and make audience led decisions quickly. We learn and act fast. And as we approach Autumn, it’s clear that we’ll better serve our audiences by increasing Tiny Pop’s distribution on linear.”
For Freeview viewers, where the channel was only available in some areas only, the next U-turn came at the stroke of midnight into 1st December when Tiny Pop switched back from terrestrial to streaming-only delivery. It continues as a regular broadcast channel on Sky.
From TalkTV to TalkRadio TV version 2
Meanwhile, News UK effectively gave up on TalkTV in the spring, dropping the channel from broadcast networks and switching to streaming only.
The channel’s daytime schedule was broadly a televised version of TalkRadio, with bespoke programmes in the evening including Piers Morgan Uncensored. But it failed to gain much interest from traditional TV viewers.
The switch to streaming-only counts as a U-turn because prior to TalkTV launching in 2022, there was a live stream called TalkRadio TV, which filmed TalkRadio presenters in the studio.
The streaming-only only TalkTV – now simply rebranded “Talk” – is effectively TalkRadio TV all over again, with viewers able to watch TalkRadio’s presenters throughout the day (as shown above).
The removal from traditional TV platforms was low-key and didn’t take place on all platforms at the same time. TalkTV continued as a regular broadcast channel on Freeview channel for a few days after disappearing from other platforms. (The streaming version of Talk can now be found on channel 280 on internet connected Freeview Play TVs.)
ITV U-turns on children’s TV
In 2023, ITV closed its children’s channel CITV after 17 years.
At the time, the broadcaster reassured viewers and Ofcom that it would continue offering blocks of children’s programmes on its traditional broadcast channels, including a children’s TV block for older children each morning on ITV2 and maintaining LittleBe, for pre-schoolers on ITVBe each morning.
But LittleBe was quietly axed at the end of May.
Prior to LittleBe launching, pre-school programmes were given a slot on the CITV channel under the “mini CITV” banner. In turn, mini CITV carried on the baton from ITV’s long history of shows aimed at younger children.
Shows for younger children are now found within a sub-section of the Kids on-demand section on ITVX.
Meanwhile, ITVBe now shows reruns of shows including Million Dollar Listing and Real Housewives Of… in the mid-morning timeslot.
By: Marc Thornham | Images: Amazon, Talk channel screenshot, ITV