2 1/2 years after the closure of its dedicated children’s channel, ITV will remove the last remaining strand of children’s programmes this weekend.
- Reality show repeats replace last remaining block of children’s shows on ITV2.
- Commercial reasons why some children’s shows remained on linear after CITV’s closure now resolved.
ITV will end the Easter holidays with a complete purge of children’s programmes from its linear channels.
From Saturday 11 April, ITV2 will extend its morning repeats of reality shows, including Buying the View and Dress To Impress, replacing its last remaining children’s shows.
The move comes three years after the broadcaster first announced plans to close down its children’s channel. CITV closed at the start of September 2023, but children’s programmes remained on ITV2 and ITVBe each morning.
In 2024, ITV removed pre-school programmes from ITVBe. The channel was subsequently also axed by ITV in favour of ITV Quiz.
Meanwhile, children’s programmes on ITV2 have been steadily reduced from three hours to just one and a half hours. The final children’s programmes air in a 90 minute slot from 6am on 10 April.
Off the radar?
ITV will stream children’s shows exclusively via ITVX, where it also operates a free linear streaming channel called ITVX Kids. Nevertheless, compared to the heyday of children’s TV on ITV in the late 80s and 1990s, ITV’s streaming provision for children has largely disappeared off the radar of many families.
Younger audiences are streaming, but they’re flocking to platforms such as YouTube and TikTok. Meanwhile, Netflix, Disney+, HBO Max and Paramount+ all contain large libraries of children’s TV shows in traditional 20-30 minute formats, providing further stiff competition for ITV.
Commercial reality not public service: ITV’s last remaining linear shows for children
When ITV announced the closure of its children’s channel CITV in 2023, the retention of a limited block of children’s programmes on ITV2 each morning was framed as something that it could use to pacify concerns from politicians and regulators.
However, the arrangement mainly served a commercial purpose, not for the benefit of viewers.
After broadcasters first launched streaming services, they entered new distribution agreements whereby a catch-up window was added to linear broadcast rights. That enabled programmes to appear on streaming services for a period of time after being shown on a regular TV channel.
By the time CITV closed, ITV was able to move most of its children’s programmes to streaming having secured the appropriate clearance from rights holders. Only a few programmes remained under older agreements.
In time, ITV has secured more streaming-only deals with distributors. All children’s programmes staying with ITV from April 2026 no longer depend on a linear outlet.
The last remaining children’s shows on ITV2 were programmes licensed from Warner Bros Discovery, including various Scooby Doo shows. Originally, each linear broadcast extended a programme’s availability on streaming. In the past, ITV2 also routinely cleared its normal early evening schedules at the beginning of December to screen the various Harry Potter movies for the same reason. Once shown on ITV2, the movies were available to watch on streaming over Christmas and New Year.
By: Marc Thornham | Image: WBD