Is CITV shutting down? ITV children’s channel to close as ITVX Kids launches online - what shows will be on it

CITV has been around for decades, a staple of children’s television viewing, and millions of UK viewers will have fond memories of the channel that brought us Rainbow, Fun House, Fraggle Rock, and My Parents are Aliens. 

Next month the channel will cease to be as ITV finalises its transition of children’s programming to online platforms less than a year after ITV Hub rebranded, in a sign of moving with the times.

And though most of the classic CITV shows and new content will remain free to watch as they were on terrestrial TV, some of the best-loved programmes will be stuck behind a paywall.

This is everything you need to know about the end of CITV, its online replacement ITVX Kids, and how to watch your favourite CITV shows after the channel shuts down.

Is CITV Shutting down?

Yes, CITV, which first launched in January 1983 and saw the launch of many iconic children’s shows, will close next month, after more than 40 years on television.

The channel, which replaced Watch It!, airs children’s shows aimed at those aged 5-12, and is watched by hundreds of thousands of viewers each day.

However, ITV explained that the channel would shut down and be replaced by an online streaming channel, ITVX Kids, because of falling viewership. The amount of time that children spend watching terrestrial TV has dropped by almost two thirds (62%) since 2019. 

CITV’s closure was first announced in March 2023, with plans for it to be replaced by a free ad-supported streaming service, ITVX Kids, part of the ITVX platform. The official close date for CITV has been confirmed as 1 September, to coincide with the end of the school holidays. 

ITVX replaced ITV Hub in December 2022, and launched with a slew of original shows. Many series air on ITVX in block releases ahead of weekly releases on ITV1 several months later.

What is ITVX Kids?

ITVX Kids launched in July 2023 as part of online streaming service ITV X. As CITV winds down, content from the terrestrial channel has migrated to the streaming service.

ITVX Kids is free to watch and is supported by adverts, though by signing up to ITVX Premium for £5.99 a month, users will be able to watch ad-free.

What shows are on ITVX Kids?

Programmes on ITVX Kids include Hotel Transylvania, Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous, Ninjago, Mr. Bean, Sooty, Captain Underpants, and Scooby Doo. There are also several children’s films on the platform, such as Fern Gully: The Last Rainforest, Inspector Sunshine, My Little Pony: The Movie, and Postman Pat: The Movie.

ITVX Premium will also grant users access to a greater number of shows, including more Kids content. Premium kids programmes include My Parents Are Aliens, Danger Mouse, The Worst Witch, and Woof.

But the bad news is that some beloved CITV shows are not on ITVX Kids, and it's not clear if they were ever be made available on the site. Among the programmes not currently available on the streaming platform are Rainbow, Fraggle Rock, Art Attack, Count Duckula, and Horrid Henry.