Childhoods Ruined as ITV1 To Kill Off CITV Over Labor Day Weekend

 It's the end of an era of children's television history as ITV1's UK children's network CITV is about to be thannons-snapped from existance and go off the air forever. ITV plc. has confirmed that the now 43-year old ITV kids TV powerhouse will be shut down off the air over the Labor Day weekend on Friday, September 1st at 9:00pm after the final broadcast of The Rubbish World of Dave the Spud.

CITV was first launched as Watch It! on Monday 29th December 1980 and was changed to the modern day name of CITV on Monday 3rd January 1983 with Matthew Kelly as the first host. And the rest, as they say is history. Over the years, CITV has brought classic programs like Art Attack, Danger Mouse, My Parents Are Aliens, Fun House, Jungle Run, Sooty and Rainbow. It also has lightened up weekend mornings at the 9:25am-12:30pm timeslot with hits like No. 73, SM:TV Live and Ministry of Mayhem.

As CITV shuts down and passes away, ITV1 is also ending children's broadcasts on the main channel with its final CITV simulcast on the Good Morning Britain network during the 6-8.30am slot before it cuts back to The Breakfast Show with Lorraine Kelly. The Channel 3 ITV kids shows is no more.

From Saturday 2nd September, the day after CITV dies, all children's programs will be moved to its sister network ITV2 which had originally been the home of GMTV's kids programming blocks Diggin'It, Up on the Roof, Toonattik, Wakey Wakey! and The Fluffy Gardens CLub. ITV2 will be the new home for ITV children's programming running from 5-9am before preschool programs start on ITVBe.

ITV launched the ITVX Kids streaming channel on Saturdy 22nd July, but won't start giving it official branding and idents graphics until September 2nd after CITV gets killed off the air.

Thank you to everyone who has made CITV a staple of UK kids telly and rest in peace.

R.I.P.
CITV Children's ITV
29th December 1980-1st September 2023