CITV to end kids spending freeze

Broadcast understands that CITV controller Emma Tennant, who also runs ITV3, has been given limited funds to recommission a number of existing shows which do well for the channel, bringing its much criticised kids commissioning hiatus to an end.

Tennant has been holding meetings with kids indies to discuss potential opportunities and to assure them of her commitment to the CITV channel. It is thought she will finalise a number of recommissions early next year.

A source said: “Emma has been given a brief that she can spend a bit of money making some small commissions. I think this is partly to pay lip service to [averting] the crisis in kids TV but also to keep the CITV channel going.

“Repeats are fine but it has gone 18 months without making any commissions and this will soon start to show.”

There have also been a number of other developments around CITV that suggest ITV is not going to wind down the channel imminently, as many had feared.

It is understood that ITV has recently renewed the contract for the CITV on-air team in Manchester, which had been due to expire at the end of the year. There had been speculation that ITV would not renew the contract, throwing the future of the channel into further doubt.

The broadcaster has also decided to bring responsibility for CITV’s airtime sales in-house for the first time since its launch in March 2006. Until now, GMTV’s airtime sales team sold the advertising for the channel, making it the only ITV-owned channel not to have been sold through the company’s in-house sales division.

It is understood ITV now plans to as much as double the price for on-air ads.

Kids producers have welcomed ITV’s potential volte face on commissioning UKoriginated kids programming, but are waiting to gauge its longer-term intentions.

One producer said: “Everybody had all but given up hope on ITV and CITV but things have started to look a little more positive since Emma got there. She is very proud of CITV and the great programmes it has, and she seems very keen to do something.

“But it remains to be seen whether she can persuade the top brass at ITV to continue supporting kids TV.”

It is thought CITV generated around£4m profit last year.

An ITV spokeswoman said: “ITV is very supportive of CITV. Last Thursday, it had its best ever day and it’s going great guns.”

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