6 March 2008

Following a review of its digital channel’s hours and capacity, ITV today announced it is to extend the broadcast hours of 2007 Channel of the Year ITV2.

With effect from 17th March 2008 ITV2 and ITV2+1 will be extending their broadcast hours to go 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Previously they aired between 09:25 and 06:00 and 10:25 and 07:00 respectively.

GMTV’s Action Stations currently broadcasts from 06.00 -09.25 on ITV2 and this move will see the service transfer to ITV4. The move will be cross-promoted on both ITV2 and the CiTV channel. Action Stations will continue to be simulcast on the CiTV channel between the hours of 06.00 – 09.25.

In a related move ITV2+1 is to move up the EPG in a direct swap with ITV’s Men and Motors channel. ITV2+1 will be found on channel 131 and Men & Motors will be found on channel 184. ITV2+1 has gone from strength to the strength since its launch in 2006 and so far in 2008 has accounted for 15% of ITV2’s total impacts.

Jonathan Rogers, Director of Operations, ITV Channels said: “ITV2 is the number one digital channel in the UK and is more than ready to broadcast 24 hours a day 7 days a week. These moves are designed to maximise the ongoing success of ITV’s portfolio digital of channels.”

ITV2
ITV2 is the number one digital channel in the UK. In 2007 nearly 90% of the UK population watched ITV2 – that’s over 41.5 million people and nearly 11 million of those were part of the valuable 16-34s audience.

ITV2’s top rating programme of 2007 was Secret Diary Of A Call Girl, starring Billie Piper. The channel’s first ever original drama commission peaked with over 2 million viewers in September and was the most successful launch of an original commission across any digital station so far this year.

ITV2 has not only enjoyed commercial success but also critical acclaim picking up its first BAFTA and RTS awards for Entourage; both the Entertainment Channel of the Year and Channel of the Year at the Broadcast Digital Awards and the Non-terrestrial Channel of the Year at the Media Guardian Edinburgh Festival.

GMTV’s Action Stations
From March 17th, as part of it’s extended Easter schedule, GMTV’s Action Stations will include new animations, Storm Hawks and Iggy Arbuckle, as well as continuing with the popular Ben 10.