CW
Charlie Wells
Moderator
"We are officially live on the CiTV Channel..."
*cue a loss of sound and hasty cut to a break*
*cue a loss of sound and hasty cut to a break*
FA
Well it's here.
Overall I like the appearance of the channel. The logo does work very well and it has grown on me. I like the idea behind the idents, and it wasn't what I was expecting at all, I thought that they'd have the kids using their imagination, but very good for them not too. Its a shame that they haven't added any sort of recognisable tune to them, even if they went back to the old 8 note tune (sep 98- sep 03) or used the short lived 4 noter (sep - dec 03). I have only really seen the sausage and tortoise one on the channel, though they all impress me online.
As for the launch. Like ITV4 it was like a countdown for nothing, except this was even worse as it went straight into a sponsership sting. It would have been nice to at least have aired one of the idents, even better if they'd have had a launch promo thing, or just used the trailer.
It's a shame that ITV stopped doing them for their channels, it was always nice for ITV1's relaunches, ITV2's relaunch, ITV Day (even though it wasn't used to launch it), and the ITV50 one (again not used to launch the strand).
As for the programmes, not great, but it's a start. They could have done with more new programmes, rather than ones from other channels.
I wasn't impressed with the tots programmes mid afternoon though. I can understand using Saturday Showdown for launching the channel, but surely it would make sense to air the tots programmes whilst Toonattik and Saturday Showdown are on ITV1, then older programmes from 11:30 onwards.
It's the same in the week, though there seem to be too many tots programmes then. Surely 6-9am & 3-6pm for the older kids, and 9am-3pm for tots programmes when the older kids are at school. Of course that is until School Holidays come into effect. Though depending on the success of this channel, ITV may decide to seperate the two, even though they'd need another freeview place to do so.
The lack of presenters is a shame. I would have liked to have seen some, even if it's just for a broom cupboard or green screen in Granada, though a bigger set would be better.
Looking at the schedules, part of me is expecting Toonattik to air on CITV in the mornings up until 9:25 (all the programmes seem to point to this).
Lovely fresh lick of paint to the website, it's a shame that all of the other designers couldn't have done something similar in time for the ITV network relaunch. I presume it's down to Greg, if so very well done.
As for the start of the day, Showdown was good, I didn't like today's, but I presume it will be different for next week, for that fact that extra was longer than the showdown itself.
I would have put either one or two other people in to do the extra show, but I suppose it would have worked better as MoM, where the show finished on a high (especially in the days of all of the gunge). Sara used to be such a great host on TSS extra just coming on in and taking over. They should try and get her and maybe Steve Wilson in, extend it to run an hour and it'd be a great start to the afternoon.
I will keep watching the channel and keep making notes. I think lack of presenters and a strange schedule are the bad points from the off.
And of course that ITV1 seemed to be using the old dog and break bumper. Unless of course CiTV on ITV1 won't update, but that's just crazy!
Overall I like the appearance of the channel. The logo does work very well and it has grown on me. I like the idea behind the idents, and it wasn't what I was expecting at all, I thought that they'd have the kids using their imagination, but very good for them not too. Its a shame that they haven't added any sort of recognisable tune to them, even if they went back to the old 8 note tune (sep 98- sep 03) or used the short lived 4 noter (sep - dec 03). I have only really seen the sausage and tortoise one on the channel, though they all impress me online.
As for the launch. Like ITV4 it was like a countdown for nothing, except this was even worse as it went straight into a sponsership sting. It would have been nice to at least have aired one of the idents, even better if they'd have had a launch promo thing, or just used the trailer.
It's a shame that ITV stopped doing them for their channels, it was always nice for ITV1's relaunches, ITV2's relaunch, ITV Day (even though it wasn't used to launch it), and the ITV50 one (again not used to launch the strand).
As for the programmes, not great, but it's a start. They could have done with more new programmes, rather than ones from other channels.
I wasn't impressed with the tots programmes mid afternoon though. I can understand using Saturday Showdown for launching the channel, but surely it would make sense to air the tots programmes whilst Toonattik and Saturday Showdown are on ITV1, then older programmes from 11:30 onwards.
It's the same in the week, though there seem to be too many tots programmes then. Surely 6-9am & 3-6pm for the older kids, and 9am-3pm for tots programmes when the older kids are at school. Of course that is until School Holidays come into effect. Though depending on the success of this channel, ITV may decide to seperate the two, even though they'd need another freeview place to do so.
The lack of presenters is a shame. I would have liked to have seen some, even if it's just for a broom cupboard or green screen in Granada, though a bigger set would be better.
Looking at the schedules, part of me is expecting Toonattik to air on CITV in the mornings up until 9:25 (all the programmes seem to point to this).
Lovely fresh lick of paint to the website, it's a shame that all of the other designers couldn't have done something similar in time for the ITV network relaunch. I presume it's down to Greg, if so very well done.
As for the start of the day, Showdown was good, I didn't like today's, but I presume it will be different for next week, for that fact that extra was longer than the showdown itself.
I would have put either one or two other people in to do the extra show, but I suppose it would have worked better as MoM, where the show finished on a high (especially in the days of all of the gunge). Sara used to be such a great host on TSS extra just coming on in and taking over. They should try and get her and maybe Steve Wilson in, extend it to run an hour and it'd be a great start to the afternoon.
I will keep watching the channel and keep making notes. I think lack of presenters and a strange schedule are the bad points from the off.
And of course that ITV1 seemed to be using the old dog and break bumper. Unless of course CiTV on ITV1 won't update, but that's just crazy!
TV
Showdown Extra is 20 minutes? Why go to the trouble if it's only going to be 20 minutes. They could have made it half an hour at least.
Actually Saturday Showdown ends at 10.30 but somehow Showdown Extra doesn't appear on EPGs until 11.30
02cashindavid posted:
CoxyAppo posted:
Someone over at DS posted these as the channel launch listings:
9:25am Holly and Stephen's Saturday Showdown
11:30am Holly and Stephen's Saturday Showdown
Extra
11:50am Planet Sketch
9:25am Holly and Stephen's Saturday Showdown
11:30am Holly and Stephen's Saturday Showdown
Extra
11:50am Planet Sketch
Showdown Extra is 20 minutes? Why go to the trouble if it's only going to be 20 minutes. They could have made it half an hour at least.
Actually Saturday Showdown ends at 10.30 but somehow Showdown Extra doesn't appear on EPGs until 11.30
FA
Totally agree. At least if they did ever get presenters, it would get rid of the 'What a Week' packages that seem to be flooding the channel already and it's only Saturday.
The programmes aren't that bad, I just don't understand the tots in mid afternoon programmes. The presentation as I've said previously is quality compared to the mix up old presentation. Though I wonder why only the Sausage ident featured on the channel today, most of the time it was just the red logo animation. Its a shame that if they're going to use Tim, that they aren't using him that much. He just popping up to say whats on next and to ride a lollypop stick :S.
I also noticed that they played out the pirates cartoon earlier in 4:3 instead of cropping it, even though the turtles was cropped (presumebly already cropped by GMTV ?)
Plus is it just me, or is the dog too transparent that there's no point in having it, and far too much over to the right?
CoxyAppo posted:
I think the presentation is brilliant but it needs presenters badly. It's funny how expensive the whole thing looked today yet the situation remains the same.
Totally agree. At least if they did ever get presenters, it would get rid of the 'What a Week' packages that seem to be flooding the channel already and it's only Saturday.
The programmes aren't that bad, I just don't understand the tots in mid afternoon programmes. The presentation as I've said previously is quality compared to the mix up old presentation. Though I wonder why only the Sausage ident featured on the channel today, most of the time it was just the red logo animation. Its a shame that if they're going to use Tim, that they aren't using him that much. He just popping up to say whats on next and to ride a lollypop stick :S.
I also noticed that they played out the pirates cartoon earlier in 4:3 instead of cropping it, even though the turtles was cropped (presumebly already cropped by GMTV ?)
Plus is it just me, or is the dog too transparent that there's no point in having it, and far too much over to the right?