ITV given go-ahead to cut kids TV

http://media.guardian.co.uk/broadcast/story/0,,2040563,00.html


In short, ITV have been permitted to cut their childrens output from 8 hours a week (on average) to 5 hours.

This is a couple of months after OFCOM rejected ITV plans to cut it to 2 hours - though that was probably an agressive tactic to make the cut they won today seem alot less.




Programming will be "weighted" towards the weekend, though will continue to appear on weekdays at some points of the year.


GMTV have also announced they plan to cut children's programming on most bank holidays and replace it with"adult appeal news-based programming".


OK - funny this is announced on the day OFCOM figures show viewing on terrestrial channels of childrens programming in the last few years has fallen by more than 50%.


It's not ideal - but it's better than nothing. What ITV should be doing is estabhlishing when these programmes will air and committing to the slot, whether at the weekend or on weekday afternoons.

Personally I still fail to see how ITV can justify taking the old CITV slot with an ancient repeat of Poirot - with Deal or No Deal on C4 they've lost the 4pm hour anyhow - so just stick the kids programming in there and accept it!

Can the public complain to OFCOM about something like this that doesn't directly affect them?

Old drama repeats on the weekday afternoon get higher viewing figures than the CITV block.

ITV had better bring back live programming on a Saturday morning!

Surely even with the regulations about what you can broadcast during children's television, Citv ( on itv ) would attract a fair share of advertisers?

Not as much as back in the day, when they were allowed to advertise junk food ad's. They were the main types of adverts you saw in the CITV advertising block.

For goodness sake...

Put your flaming foot down Ofcom!

First rejecting cuts, now the opposite; what do they stand for, and what message does this send out?

My confidence in them is further waning.

Sounds like a good reason to allow a cut then! If the viewership has gone down then why not let the BBC and the digital kids channels provide instead?



Childrens TV is minority progranmming. Even without the 'fast food ban' it would be a loss maker, especially considering the competition Childrens ITV comes up against

Why are OFCOM always cosying up with ITV? They are such a waste of space.

I have no idea why ITV & ofcom are getting into bed together but it does seem that there getting ready for the switch-over

Cutting childrens programming on ITV in all honesty shouldn't get us all riled up should it? I mean i think most of us are adults now who don't watch Childrens TV anymore.

I understand children do still exist though.

We all grew up watching children's TV and have fond memories of it. So it's understandable if we're annoyed that what we found so valuable as children could be no longer available to the next generation.

Well theres is always CBBC, plus with us all going digital there is a variety of children channels out there.

Most kids are out now on the streets playing, times have changed.

On that note, is Childrens Ward ever repeated? That was CITV wasent it?