Children's TV on ITV1 cut further...
ITV plan to cut kids' shows succeeds
ITV1 has been given the green light by Ofcom to reduce the amount of children's shows it broadcasts this year from an average of eight hours a week to about five hours a week.
The five hours each week are not subject to scheduling restrictions, and ITV1 does not need to run the programmes in its traditional afternoon weekday slot. A proportion of the programmes will run on weekends.
"Having taken into account the opinion of Ofcom, ITV confirms that children's output across 2007 will average around five hours of programming per week across ITV1 hours," said the broadcaster in a statement today.
"Including GMTV, the ITV1 channel is on course to broadcast in excess of 500 hours of children's programmes in 2007.
"In addition, ITV continues to invest in the CITV channel, which includes a high volume of UK-produced material and is available to around 90% of UK children."
An Ofcom spokesman said: "ITV neither sought Ofcom's approval, nor did we give it. Ofcom is required to offer guidance, and we made it clear that Ofcom expects ITV to remain a significant commissioning force in children's television with a range of programmes that suit a variety of children's tastes and needs."
ITV outlined its strategy in its annual statement of programme policy, released today.
The broadcaster unsuccessfully approached Ofcom last summer to lobby for a significant reduction in the amount of children's programming on ITV1 - it previously aired eight hours a week.
The broadcaster has arrived at a compromise with Ofcom after taking into account a range of factors including the restrictions on junk food and drink advertising to children, which come into force this month.
ITV said that it would continue to provide a wide range of children's programmes - including pre-school, drama, factual programming, entertainment and animation - with a "substantial proportion" of British programmes.
While ITV pledged to schedule shows at both weekends and weekdays the broadcaster added that it intended to "weight its children's output to weekends, where the children's audience can be reached more effectively on ITV1".
"This is a substantially greater commitment than any of our main competitors. Indeed, it as much as the total commitment across BBC1 and BBC2 combined," said ITV's director of television, Simon Shaps.
"All told, we believe that this represents a substantial commitment. There are real challenges for the funding of children's programmes in the commercial sector to which ITV1 is not immune. Ofcom is right to have launched a review on this important issue and we will seek to play a full part in that process."
In its own strategy report for 2007, GMTV points out an expected "continual erosion" of its kids audiences at weekends.
As a result GMTV has made a "small change" to its programming strategy that will see the production of adult appeal news-based programming on "a number" of bank holiday Mondays instead of children's shows.
The Pact chief executive, John McVay, said: "We are disappointed ITV will show less children's programming this year than last year, as indicated in its statement of programme policy.
"This comes at a time when the children's production sector is deeply concerned about about its long-term future and how it can continue to supply great children's programmes to British families.
"Pact continues to campaign on behalf of members to find sustainable solutions to the decline of the most important genre in public service broadcasting."
