ITV is to take advantage of its capacity on the DTT network with an expansion in hours for both ITV4 and CITV.
The male skewing ITV4 is to extend its hours to become a full 24-hour service. It has in its sights Dave, UKTV’s rebranded UKTV G2, which also targets the male audience. ITV4 will benefit from an increased programming budget as ITV tries to make up for the fragmentation of audiences as ever increasing numbers upgrade to digital services.
ITV4 currently shares its capacity with CITV, the children’s channel, which is now the primary outlet for kids programming on the network. Interest groups have welcomed CITV’s own increased budget that will allow the channel to commission its own programming for the first time.
CITV will now move to capacity on the former SDN multiplex, acquired two years ago by ITV, and previously leased to the now defunct ABC1. It will also commence a daily 12-hour schedule.