CITV channel closes as ITVX Kids streaming service launches

CITV will be replaced by "digital first" ITVX Kids

Today is the last day of children's TV channel CITV.

British broadcaster ITV had announced it will close on 1 September after more than 40 years and will be replaced by an online streaming platform ITVX Kids.

ITV said it had made the decision to become digital first because many children and adults were moving towards streaming and viewing TV content via the internet.

In May 2022, the BBC also announced that it plans to stop broadcasting the CBBC Channel on TV in the future, and that all CBBC programmes such as Newsround, Blue Peter and Saturday Mash-Up would be available online.

The CITV channel has been home to some of the UK's favourite cartoons and shows for more than four decades - including programmes such as Mr Bean, My Parents are Aliens, Scooby Doo and Inspector Gadget.

Have you ever watched CITV? And do you watch TV by streaming it or watching it live on the telly? Let us know in the comments.

What difference will streaming content make?

Children's TV viewing habits are changing

The CITV channel is aimed at five to 12 year olds, but many viewers are increasingly using internet and streaming services to watch their favourite shows at times that suit them.

This is different to traditional TV viewing where people watch programmes when they are scheduled on the channel - known as "appointment to view" TV.

ITVX streaming service launched in 2022 and aims to take a "digital first" approach to making new TV content, to allow kids to watch their favourite shows "however they want to watch it".

ITV told Sky News: "This new streaming approach [is] responding to the changing ways children and their parents are increasingly accessing content."

Streaming is becoming a more popular option for children