List of ITV channels

ITV (Independent Television) is the original British advertising television network. Some of the franchise holders, most notably ITV plc and its predecessor companies Granada plc and Carlton Communications, set up other television channels, some with the ITV brand, some not.

Current channels

ITV

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ITV, STV and UTV; the three brands used on the ITV network.

The ITV network was launched in 1955, a federal network of fifteen regional companies granted franchises either solely on a geographical basis or also on a weekday/weekend split basis. The franchises were reallocated several times and now, except for two in Scotland and one in Northern Ireland, all the franchises are owned by ITV plc, and are branded as ITV. The network contains a variety of programming, such as entertainment, dramas, documentaries, news, films and sport. The network is still running to this day, and celebrated its 50th anniversary in September 2005, and it's 60th 10 years later . The channel is available to everyone who has a working television in Britain and broadcasts 24 hours a day. A timeshift channel, ITV +1, is available on Freeview, Sky, Freesat and Virgin Media.

ITV2

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After 1964, the fourth push-button channel selector on British televisions was traditionally labelled "ITV2", in the expectation that the second commercial channel would be awarded to ITV in the near future. In the event, Channel 4 claimed the button when it launched in 1982. It was not until 1998 that ITV launched its first new digital channel, known as ITV2. This combines more repeated and new entertainment and films as well as behind the scenes and imported programmes for the modern world. It is available on all digital services and broadcasts 24 hours a day. A timeshift channel, ITV2 +1, is available on Freeview, Sky, Freesat and Virgin Media. Before 2 August 2011, ITV2 +1 was only available on Freeview between 19:00 and 06:00, as it was forced to timeshare with CITV, and, in Scotland, TeleG (until it closed).

ITV2 HD is the simulcast high-definition television channel of ITV2. It is available on Sky and Virgin Media as a pay-TV channel.

ITV3

ITV plc's third channel was launched on 1 November 2004 as ITV3. It was initially thought that ITV3 would continue alongside Plus, broadcasting only on Freeview and cable, but at a last minute deal made it available on Sky, replacing Plus on all platforms (except Freeview). It usually shows murder mysteries, classic dramas and movies. ITV3 is also available on all digital services and is available between 06:00 and 03:00, with teleshopping taking up the early hours of the day. A timeshift channel, ITV3 +1, is available on Sky, Freesat and Virgin Media.

ITV3 HD is the simulcast high-definition television channel of ITV3. It is available on Sky and Virgin Media as a pay-TV channel.

ITV4

ITV4 is a digital channel based targeted at men. It began broadcasting on 1 November 2005. It broadcasts for the same amount of time as ITV3. It usually shows sport events, archival programming, and, similarly to ITV3, movies. A timeshift channel, ITV4 +1, is available on Sky, Freesat and Virgin Media.

ITV4 HD is the simulcast high-definition television channel of ITV4. It is available on Sky and Virgin Media as a pay-TV channel.

ITVBe

ITVBe is a new lifestyle television channel from ITV plc, which launched on 8 October 2014.^[1] The channel will take some of ITV2's current programmes such as The Real Housewives franchise and scripted reality show The Only Way Is Essex. The channel is available free-to-air on Freeview, Sky and Virgin Media. A high-definition simulcast and timeshift channel, ITVBe HD and ITVBe +1, are also available.

ITV Encore

ITV Encore is a drama television channel from ITV plc launched on 9 June 2014.^[2] Unlike ITV's other channels it is available exclusively on Sky as part of their subscription packages. A high-definition simulcast and timeshift channel, ITV Encore HD and ITV Encore +1, are also available.

ITV HD

ITV HD is the simulcast high-definition television channel created by ITV. It was first trialled primarily to show the 2006 World Cup games to which ITV had the rights. It also showed looping previews, it began scheduled broadcasting on 9 June 2006 and ended on 30 November 2006. The full version was released as a simulcast on 17 July 2008 on all platforms.

STV launched their HD service in June 2010. STV HD broadcasts in Central and Northern Scotland on Virgin Media and Freeview. The channel was made available on the Sky and Freesat EPGs in April 2014.

UTV HD was launched in Northern Ireland in October 2010 exclusively to Virgin Media. It was later added to Freeview on 24 October 2012 after the completion of the digital switchover in the region.

CITV

The CITV channel is aimed at children under 12 years old, and broadcasts daily between 06:00 and 18:00. The channel launched on 11 March 2006 at 09:25 with Holly & Stephen's Saturday Showdown, on Freeview, Virgin Media and TalkTalk TV. It then launched on Sky on 8 May 2006 at 06:00, with other platforms to follow. The channel replaced the ITV News Channel on Freeview. However, in February 2008 it was moved to a space originally held by ABC1, allowing ITV4 to go 24/7 on Freeview, however this means that it can no longer be received in Wales via Freeview because the channel would interfere with S4C if available in Wales. On 9 January 2012, a change in the FEC mode on the multiplex allowed CITV to broadcast in Wales on Freeview.

The Store

JML Store is a UK television shopping channel, in partnership with JML Direct Limited, and programming block on ITV. Dubbed the "chatmercial", The Store combines the format of a chatshow with home TV shopping in front of a studio audience.

The channel was first launched in November 2011 as "The Zone" exclusively on the Freeview platform, but was not available in Wales until 9 January 2012. On Tuesday 1 October, ITV rebranded the channel as "The Store", which also launched as a 24-hour channel on Freesat and Sky on the same day. The Freeview channel varies from the satellite feed, as it only broadcasts between 6pm and 6am, and airs the live casino programme Jackpot247 daily, between 10pm and 3am. On 1 August 2014, it was rebranded as "JML Store" on all platforms, except Freeview.

Defunct channels

The ITV network as a whole has owned other spin-off channels. Some were as joint ventures with other broadcasters, others were not.

With the ITV brand

ITV Play

ITV Play was a 24/7 participation television channel in the United Kingdom. It launched on 19 April 2006 on Freeview, and was also available on Sky Digital. The channel's closure was announced on 13 March 2007 and the channel closed on 15 March 2007. The channel was replaced by ITV2 +1 on Freeview. The brand "ITV Play" continued during late night quiz show slots on the ITV Network until December 2007.

ITV News Channel

The ITV News Channel launched on 1 August 2000 under the name ITN News Channel. Carlton Television and Granada Television bought equal shares from ITN in the network and rebranded it ITV News Channel in September 2002. Then in April 2004 ITV bought NTL's 35 per cent share and took full control over the channel. The channel was closed on 23 December 2005 due to poor ratings and the launch of ITV4. It was replaced by ITV4 and CITV.

ITV Sport Channel

The ITV Sport Channel, originally broadcasting UEFA Champions League football and ATP Masters Series tennis under the brand ONsport, was ITV's sports channel. It closed with (and indeed was responsible for) the collapse of ITV Digital. Lasting for just one football season; the ITV Sport Channel launched on Saturday 11 August 2001 with Man City v Watford in the First Division, and closed on Sunday 12 May 2002 with the Division 2 Play Off Final between Brentford and Stoke. There were two spinoff channels, ITV Sport Plus and ITV Sport Select, the latter used to show the on-demand Premier League football matches from Sky Sports. Whilst football was the mainstay of the channel, it showed the ATP Masters Series, British basketball and European Cup rugby union. Previously to the ITV Digital rebrand, the ITV Sport bouquet included ONsport 1 and ONsport 2, which were subject to rebrands themselves after ITV bought up the rights to the tennis Masters Series. Before then, the channel had been branded as Champions on 28, and Champions on 99.

ITV Select

A pay-per-view service on ITV Digital formally called ONrequest, which launched with ONdigital. It gave access to films, sport events and exclusive footage. It closed prior to the collapse of the platform due to ITV's financial difficulties and poor uptake.

Granada plc

Granada Breeze

Originally Granada Good Life, Granada Breeze was another GSB owned venture. The channel was aimed at women and was a lifestyle channel aimed at female viewers and showed programmes on lifestyle, cookery, health and US daytime television such as Judge Joe Brown. It closed in March 2002 due to poor viewing figures. Its sister channel Plus then followed Talk TV and Breeze in early November 2004 and was closed down by ITV plc as part of a deal to carry ITV3 on Sky Digital.

Granada Plus

Owned by Granada Sky Broadcasting, a 50-50 joint venture between Granada plc and BSkyB, Granada Plus was a general entertainment channel aimed at older audiences and ran from archived material. The channel, initially launched as "Granada Plus", was later known as "G Plus" and finally simply "Plus". It continued to broadcast until 1 November 2004, when ITV sealed a deal to buy out Sky's stakes in GSB to close down the channel in order for ITV's new channel, ITV3, to take Plus' low EPG position on Sky Digital. The channel was replaced on digital satellite and cable platforms, but a closedown slide continued to be available as late as 2010 on analogue cable. The closedown slide has since became inaccessible to places where analogue cable is no longer supported, as the digital switchover occurred.

Granada Men & Motors

Men & Motors was a men's lifestyle television channel in the UK. It was the last remaining station operated by Granada Sky Broadcasting after Plus became the third GSB channel to be closed down, being replaced by ITV3. A joint venture set up by Granada plc (now part of ITV plc) and BSkyB in 1996. Although ITV plc is now the sole owner of GSB, Sky will receive 49.5 per cent of any proceeds (net of liabilities) if Men & Motors is sold.

The channel was previously available on Freeview but was removed to make way for ITV Play which was then removed to make way for ITV2 +1, but was still available on Sky Digital and Virgin Media. While it was still broadcasting, it was available from 11:00 to 04:00 every day with ITV Nightscreen taking up the hours of 04:00 to 06:00 and a mixture of teleshopping and animated captions between 06:00 and 11:00.

Men & Motors was removed from Virgin Media on 25 March 2010, and closed on 1 April 2010 on Sky Digital and Freesat, making way for ITV HD.

Granada Talk TV

The last of the original GSB channels, Granada Talk TV focused primarily on chat shows. Due to the death of Diana, Princess of Wales in the early hours of 31 August 1997 It ceased broadcasting in 31 August 1997

Carlton Communications

Carlton Cinema

A channel owned by Carlton Communications showing classic cinema. Closed in 2003 due to poor viewing figures.

Taste CFN

Originally Carlton Food Network, owned by Carlton Communications, showing cooking programmes. This was the first Carlton channel to be launched when it started on cable on 1 September 1996. The channel itself went bust in late 2001 due to financial difficulties. It was never replaced on the ITV Digital platform (but the closure stated that Carlton Cinema would replace this and fill in the gap)

Carlton Kids

Owned by Carlton Communications showing children's television. The channel itself went bust in 2000 due to poor viewing figures, this channel like Carlton World were replaced by a timeshare of the now-defunct Discovery Kids and Discovery Wings on the ONdigital platform.

Carlton Select

A channel owned by Carlton Communications showing General entertainment programming. The channel itself went bust in 2000 due to poor viewing figures, however it relaunched again in 2002 (for cable television only), suddenly it plunged into extreme risk as Carlton heard rumours about itself merging with Granada to form a single ITV (Save for the Granada name) and it struggled to keep on going but it failed and it shattered which meant it closed in 2003, due to the Carlton's rumours of merging with Granada. Its slot was used to provide extra hours for Carlton Food Network. The channel had originally been broadcast as SelecTV since June 1995 as a cable exclusive but changed to Carlton Select in early 1997 and started on OnDigital when that platform went on air in late 1998.

Carlton World

A channel owned by Carlton Communications showing factual programming. The channel itself went bust in 2000 due to poor viewing figures, it was replaced by a timeshare of the now-defunct Discovery Kids and Discovery Wings on the ONdigital platform

Joint ventures

Shop!

Shop! was a home shopping channel which was a joint venture between Granada and Littlewoods. It ran from 1999–2002 and was replaced on Freeview by QVC.

Wellbeing

Wellbeing was a health and beauty focused channel, a joint venture between Granada and Boots which lasted just nine months on air in 2001.

Super Channel

A pan-European cable and satellite channel launched in 1987 by all of the ITV companies except Thames Television (who was a shareholder in the SES Astra satellite operator instead), with the assistance of BBC Worldwide (then Enterprises) and of a few other third parties, such as the independent music television producer Music Box, this channel aimed to beam a selection of the best of British television from both past and present (from both the BBC and ITV) to those living in mainland Europe, aimed both at foreign viewers and British expatriates, along with the syndicated ITN World News and a few other programmes coming from other European countries (such as Holland). However, the channel ran into severe financial difficulties almost from the start, with rights problems involving Equity demanding full payment of royalties for its archive programming, and poor viewing figures, advertising revenue and profits. The channel eventually had to scrap much of its BBC and ITV output, and after failing to achieve its expectations in 1988 the channel's British shareholders sold the entirety of its shares to the Italian consortium Beta Television, who changed its programming output completely, although it continued carrying the ITN World News and being based in London. In 1993, it was bought by the American broadcaster NBC, relaunching it as NBC Super Channel, later renaming it NBC Europe. It finally closed in 1998. (The BBC launched its own satellite service immediately after the failure of Super Channel, BBC TV Europe (later BBC World Service Television and BBC World).)

The Guardian newspaper has speculated that the failure of Super Channel might have been a historical precedent to the bad luck that ITV has generally had with cable and satellite television.^[3]

Sky Scottish

A joint venture between Scottish Television and BSkyB, this was a general entertainment channel for the Scottish market. Closed after 18 months on air due to poor viewing figures.

Other

S2

Owned by SMG plc (now known as STV Group plc), this was the Scottish equivalent to ITV2 and the channel simulcasted the vast majority of ITV2 programmes, albeit covering the ITV2 DOG with its own. It closed due to poor viewership.

UTV2

Formerly TV You, owned by UTV plc, this was the Northern Irish equivalent to ITV2. Closed due to poor viewership, and the failure to attract any advertising during its existence.

References

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External links

itv.com

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