ITV2
Encyclopedia
ITV2 is a 24 hour, free-to-air
entertainment television
channel in the United Kingdom
owned by ITV Digital Channels Ltd, a division of ITV plc
. It was launched on 7 December 1998, and is available on digital television
via satellite, cable, IPTV
and terrestrial (Freeview) platforms. The channel has the biggest audience of any UK multichannel, thanks to its wide availability. The channel is known for its American programming such as Gossip Girl
, The Vampire Diaries
and The Real Housewives, catch ups of ITV1
programming such as Coronation Street
and Emmerdale
, spin-off shows such as The Xtra Factor
and Britain's Got More Talent
, and for original programming, with shows such as Secret Diary of a Call Girl
, Celebrity Juice
and The Only Way Is Essex
.
and S4C
in 1982. The concept of there being more than one independent television service dates back to the very origins of independent television itself, where ways of allowing the composite companies of ITV to compete directly with one another side-by-side were considered. When the first broadcasts went on air in 1955 there was not enough frequency space given for use by television to allow this to happen, so each competing company was allotted a part of the country, and in the large areas a period of the week (weekdays or weekend), in which to 'compete'. This arrangement was not seen as ideal however, and the ITA
continually pushed the government for the extra capacity to license a second set of franchises.
When transmissions began on UHF in the early 1960s, the GPO
were afforded the task of allocating each transmitter region with a set of frequencies that would provide maximum coverage, and minimal interference; this was done in such a way that each area had four channels available for four services, one each for the existing BBC and Independent Television services (as already carried on VHF), one for the new BBC2
service, launched in 1964, and a fourth for future allocation. The ITA
and ITV companies pushed for this space to be given to them, and during the 1968 round of new ITV franchises being issued, each licence included a clause that would allow the licence to be revoked and reconsidered if 'ITV2' became a reality before its ten-year expiry period, so as to 're-draw' the network with this consideration in mind. The term 'ITV2' became popular during this time, as the term 'ITV' itself grew in popularity for the commercial network which hitherto had no formal or agreed overall name. So anticipated was the creation of such a network by some, that many television sets manufactured during the '60s and '70s had buttons labelled 'ITV' and 'ITV2'.
The issue was a sensitive political point: The Labour Party of the 1950s and 1960s had been traditionally against commercial television, and many on the left of the party wanted to see ITV abolished altogether. Ideas to create a 'BBC3' using the spare capacity had been considered during the 1960s, but never acted upon - presumably due to the cost involved. The following Conservative government, despite traditionally favouring the concept of ITV and having founded it, were also slow to act in implementing the new network when they came to power in 1970. After many years of indecisiveness on the part of the various governments, moves began to be made towards the end of the 1970s on the form such a fourth service would take. By then, both major political parties roughly agreed that this new service ought to have some public service element to it, and provide content to minority groups not necessarily catered for by the BBC or ITV proper. The resultant service, Channel 4
, and a variant for Wales, S4C
, began in 1982. It could be said that this service was the long-awaited 'ITV2' in all but name, as it was operated and regulated by the IBA
, was (then) funded by the rest of ITV, and some of its content was produced from the ITV companies; only the name was distinct.
, Carlton
and United News & Media
jointly launched ITV2 in 1998 to be broadcast to most of the country as a uniform service. Whilst free-to-air, it was marketed along-side their own subscription based ONdigital
platform. Other ITV licensees, SMG, UTV and GMTV launched their own services in the space (see below).
While ITV2 is now a popular entertainment channel, at its launch in 1998 it was a mixed genre channel. Much of the original content in its launch schedule was current affairs related programming fronted by ITV newscasters. Katie Derham presented a weekly media programme called Wide Angle, John Suchet
fronted a weekly current affairs discussion programme called Who, What, Why, and Trevor MacDonald presented an interview series, Trevor MacDonald Meets.... Other programmes included omnibus editions of ITV soaps Emmerdale
and Coronation Street
, and a Saturday football results service.
It is important to consider the distinction between ITV2 as considered between 1955 and 1982 and the ITV2 that was launched in 1998. Like ITV itself, the former would have had a regional structure consisting of many companies competing head-to-head with their counterparts in each region, whilst the latter is operated by one organisation, as a supplement service to the main network.
In June 2004, ITV plc announced that they were going to double the channel's programme budget, and would add more US series and movies. On 1 November 2004, in an attempt to launch ITV3 on Sky, ITV2 moved from 175 to 118 on Sky after ITV plc bought GSkyB for £10millon. As a result, Granada Plus was permanently closed down, with its EPG slot taken by ITV3.
ITV plc launched a one hour timeshift channel
of ITV2 on Monday, 30 October 2006. The company is looking to its digital channels to shore up revenues as the ITV Network suffers a decline in viewers. ITV3 +1 was launched on the same day.
ITV2 and its one-hour timeshift channel began broadcasting 24 hours a day on 17 March 2008.
From 11 January 2011, ITV2 +1 on the Freeview
platform has changed its broadcasting hours to until On 1 June 2011, an additional hour was added in England, Northern Ireland and Scotland, allowing ITV2 +1 to start at On 2 August 2011, ITV2 +1 began to broadcast 24 hours a day on Freeview across the UK, using an eleventh stream created on mux
A.
As part of the changes, ITV2 +1 swapped slots on Sky's electronic programme guide with Men & Motors
, resulting in the timeshift channel making a significant jump from channel 184 to 131. It is now Sky 179.
GMTV2
programming moved from ITV2 to ITV4. The strand continues to be simulcast on the CITV Channel.
On 20 August 2008, ITV2 unveiled a new look, the logo was given a 3D look, with three new ident
s.
ITV2 was launched on UPC Ireland
in the Republic of Ireland
on 4 January 2010, marking the first time the channel has been officially available in the country. The channel had already been (and remains) available to Irish viewers on free-to-air
satellite for some time, however it is still not listed in the Sky electronic programme guide
. On 1 April 2011, ITV2 was removed from UPC Ireland along with ITV3 and ITV4 due to the expiry of a carriage agreement between UPC and ITV. UPC Ireland claim that ITV is not in a position to renegotiate the deal because ITV had struck a deal with another channel provider to provide it with exclusive rights to air certain content from the channels. Conversely, UPC Ireland also claims to have been in discussions right up to the last moment in order to continue broadcasting the channels. TV3 Ireland
and its sister channel 3e
already hold carriage agreement to air certain ITV content within the Republic of Ireland, alternatively UTV
is available within the Republic. ITV2 is available along with ITV3 and ITV4 within Switzerland
, all three channels are available on UPC Cablecom.
up to 13 November 2011. The number of viewers does not include repeats or airings on ITV2 +1.
.
simulcast
of ITV2, launched on 7 October 2010 on Sky channel 225. The channel is available through Sky's pay subscription in a non-exclusive deal, ITV has held talks with other providers including Virgin Media. Original HD programming includes entertainment shows, Britain's Got More Talent, The Xtra Factor and I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! NOW!; original drama such as the third and fourth series of Secret Diary of a Call Girl
; and acquired content including The Vampire Diaries
and Gossip Girl
and a range of movies.
platform, was launched 30 April 1999 and closed just over two years later — as part of a deal with ITV Digital
— on 27 July 2001.
By the end of its life, it had lost nearly all of its Scottish
programmes and mainly simulcast
ITV2, but covered the ITV2 graphic
with an opaque
S2 graphic. This caused controversy and forced the broadcaster further into removing the channel.
in Northern Ireland
. It was launched in 1999 as TV You. The programming consisted primarily of simulcasts with the ITV2 station shown in England
, Wales
and the Scottish Borders
, although they did also use archive broadcasts from UTV
. UTV2 closed on 22 January 2002 following a deal with ITV Digital
and was replaced by ITV2.
The channel received a new lime green logo which was generally well received by viewers. Six New idents and general presentation were introduced as well as new programming. The lime green colour was chosen as ITV thought it had a young fresh feel to it. The colour has been used now since 2006.
The six new idents all had names beginning with 'Too' to relate to the 2 in the channels name. They were called; "Too Fast", "Too Hot", "Too Cold, "Too Expensive", "Too Glamorous" and "Too Loud". Each of the idents were made up of a mix of shades of green to match the channels logo.
In 2008, the channel received another new look. The green logo was kept but edited. The channel now had a new 3D logo to try and make the channel look more modern and appealing to a younger audience. The new look was praised by many viewers. Six new idents were launched. Each ident had a unique but fresh look and feel to them and were well received.
Free-to-air
Free-to-air describes television and radio services broadcast in clear form, allowing any person with the appropriate receiving equipment to receive the signal and view or listen to the content without requiring a subscription or one-off fee...
entertainment television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
channel in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
owned by ITV Digital Channels Ltd, a division of ITV plc
ITV plc
ITV plc is a British media company that operates 12 of the 15 regional television broadcasters that make up the ITV Network, the oldest and largest commercial terrestrial television network in the United Kingdom...
. It was launched on 7 December 1998, and is available on digital television
Digital television
Digital television is the transmission of audio and video by digital signals, in contrast to the analog signals used by analog TV...
via satellite, cable, IPTV
IPTV
Internet Protocol television is a system through which television services are delivered using the Internet protocol suite over a packet-switched network such as the Internet, instead of being delivered through traditional terrestrial, satellite signal, and cable television formats.IPTV services...
and terrestrial (Freeview) platforms. The channel has the biggest audience of any UK multichannel, thanks to its wide availability. The channel is known for its American programming such as Gossip Girl
Gossip Girl
Gossip Girl is an American young adult novel series written by Cecily von Ziegesar and published by Little, Brown and Company, a subsidiary of the Hachette Group. The series revolves around the lives and romances of the privileged teenagers at the Constance Billard School for Girls, an elite...
, The Vampire Diaries
The Vampire Diaries
The Vampire Diaries is a young adult vampire horror series of novels written by L. J. Smith. The story centers around Elena Gilbert, a high school girl torn between two vampire brothers. The series was originally a trilogy published in 1991, but pressure from readers led Smith to write a fourth...
and The Real Housewives, catch ups of ITV1
ITV1
ITV1 is a generic brand that is used by twelve franchises of the British ITV Network in the English regions, Wales, southern Scotland , the Isle of Man and the Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey. The ITV1 brand was introduced by Carlton and Granada in 2001, alongside the regional identities of their...
programming such as Coronation Street
Coronation Street
Coronation Street is a British soap opera set in Weatherfield, a fictional town in Greater Manchester based on Salford. Created by Tony Warren, Coronation Street was first broadcast on 9 December 1960...
and Emmerdale
Emmerdale
Emmerdale, is a long-running British soap opera set in Emmerdale , a fictional village in the Yorkshire Dales. Created by Kevin Laffan, Emmerdale was first broadcast on 16 October 1972...
, spin-off shows such as The Xtra Factor
The X Factor (UK)
The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. Created by Simon Cowell, it began in September 2004 and is contested by aspiring singers drawn from public auditions. It is the originator of the international X Factor franchise. The seven series of the show to date...
and Britain's Got More Talent
Britain's Got Talent
Britain's Got Talent is a British television talent show competition which started in June 2007 and originated from the Got Talent series. The show is produced by FremantleMedia's TalkbackThames and Simon Cowell's production company SYCOtv. The show is broadcast on ITV in Britain and TV3 in Ireland...
, and for original programming, with shows such as Secret Diary of a Call Girl
Secret Diary of a Call Girl
Secret Diary of a Call Girl is a British television drama broadcast on ITV2 from 2007-2011 based on the blog and books by the pseudonymous "Belle de Jour," starring Billie Piper as Belle, a high-class London call girl. The series was written by Lucy Prebble, who is also known as the author of The...
, Celebrity Juice
Celebrity Juice
Celebrity Juice is a British television comedy panel game show on ITV2 that has been airing since 24 September, 2008. The show is presented by Keith Lemon, with regular captains Holly Willoughby and Fearne Cotton, alongside regular panellist Rufus Hound...
and The Only Way Is Essex
The Only Way Is Essex
The Only Way Is Essex, is a British BAFTA award-winning semi-reality show based in Essex, England. It shows "real people in modified situations, saying unscripted lines but in a structured way."...
.
Background
The term can also refer to the continuum of proposals to create a second commercial television network, from the 1950s until the idea was realised with the start of Channel 4Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
and S4C
S4C
S4C , currently branded as S4/C, is a Welsh television channel broadcast from the capital, Cardiff. The first television channel to be aimed specifically at a Welsh-speaking audience, it is the fifth oldest British television channel .The channel - initially broadcast on...
in 1982. The concept of there being more than one independent television service dates back to the very origins of independent television itself, where ways of allowing the composite companies of ITV to compete directly with one another side-by-side were considered. When the first broadcasts went on air in 1955 there was not enough frequency space given for use by television to allow this to happen, so each competing company was allotted a part of the country, and in the large areas a period of the week (weekdays or weekend), in which to 'compete'. This arrangement was not seen as ideal however, and the ITA
Independent Television Authority
The Independent Television Authority was an agency created by the Television Act 1954 to supervise the creation of "Independent Television" , the first commercial television network in the United Kingdom...
continually pushed the government for the extra capacity to license a second set of franchises.
When transmissions began on UHF in the early 1960s, the GPO
General Post Office
General Post Office is the name of the British postal system from 1660 until 1969.General Post Office may also refer to:* General Post Office, Perth* General Post Office, Sydney* General Post Office, Melbourne* General Post Office, Brisbane...
were afforded the task of allocating each transmitter region with a set of frequencies that would provide maximum coverage, and minimal interference; this was done in such a way that each area had four channels available for four services, one each for the existing BBC and Independent Television services (as already carried on VHF), one for the new BBC2
BBC Two
BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
service, launched in 1964, and a fourth for future allocation. The ITA
Independent Television Authority
The Independent Television Authority was an agency created by the Television Act 1954 to supervise the creation of "Independent Television" , the first commercial television network in the United Kingdom...
and ITV companies pushed for this space to be given to them, and during the 1968 round of new ITV franchises being issued, each licence included a clause that would allow the licence to be revoked and reconsidered if 'ITV2' became a reality before its ten-year expiry period, so as to 're-draw' the network with this consideration in mind. The term 'ITV2' became popular during this time, as the term 'ITV' itself grew in popularity for the commercial network which hitherto had no formal or agreed overall name. So anticipated was the creation of such a network by some, that many television sets manufactured during the '60s and '70s had buttons labelled 'ITV' and 'ITV2'.
The issue was a sensitive political point: The Labour Party of the 1950s and 1960s had been traditionally against commercial television, and many on the left of the party wanted to see ITV abolished altogether. Ideas to create a 'BBC3' using the spare capacity had been considered during the 1960s, but never acted upon - presumably due to the cost involved. The following Conservative government, despite traditionally favouring the concept of ITV and having founded it, were also slow to act in implementing the new network when they came to power in 1970. After many years of indecisiveness on the part of the various governments, moves began to be made towards the end of the 1970s on the form such a fourth service would take. By then, both major political parties roughly agreed that this new service ought to have some public service element to it, and provide content to minority groups not necessarily catered for by the BBC or ITV proper. The resultant service, Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
, and a variant for Wales, S4C
S4C
S4C , currently branded as S4/C, is a Welsh television channel broadcast from the capital, Cardiff. The first television channel to be aimed specifically at a Welsh-speaking audience, it is the fifth oldest British television channel .The channel - initially broadcast on...
, began in 1982. It could be said that this service was the long-awaited 'ITV2' in all but name, as it was operated and regulated by the IBA
Independent Broadcasting Authority
The Independent Broadcasting Authority was the regulatory body in the United Kingdom for commercial television - and commercial/independent radio broadcasts...
, was (then) funded by the rest of ITV, and some of its content was produced from the ITV companies; only the name was distinct.
History
This name was not dead, however, and the concept of 'ITV2' resurfaced in the late 1990s for very different reasons. The launch of digital terrestrial television services in the UK saw each existing analogue terrestrial broadcaster given a slice of bandwidth with which to carry their existing service after analogue switch-off with space left over for new channels. Whilst strictly speaking this space belonged to each regional contractor for use within their own region, ITV had undergone a series of buy-outs earlier on in the decade, the three players operating the majority of the network, GranadaGranada Ltd.
Granada plc is a former British conglomerate which was best known as the former parent of the Manchester-based Granada Television....
, Carlton
Carlton Communications
Carlton Communications was a British media company. It was led by Michael Green and listed on the London Stock Exchange from 1983 until 2 February 2004, when it taken over by Granada plc to form ITV plc with Carlton gaining 32% of the new company....
and United News & Media
United Business Media
UBM plc is a magazine publisher, news distributor and events organiser providing business information services principally to the technology, healthcare, media, automotive and financial services industries...
jointly launched ITV2 in 1998 to be broadcast to most of the country as a uniform service. Whilst free-to-air, it was marketed along-side their own subscription based ONdigital
ITV Digital
ITV Digital was a British digital terrestrial television broadcaster, which launched a pay-TV service on the world's first digital terrestrial television network as ONdigital in 1998 and briefly re-branded as ITV Digital in July 2001, before the service ceased in May 2002. Its main shareholders...
platform. Other ITV licensees, SMG, UTV and GMTV launched their own services in the space (see below).
While ITV2 is now a popular entertainment channel, at its launch in 1998 it was a mixed genre channel. Much of the original content in its launch schedule was current affairs related programming fronted by ITV newscasters. Katie Derham presented a weekly media programme called Wide Angle, John Suchet
John Suchet
John Suchet is a British news reader and television presenter.Suchet has two brothers, one of whom is David Suchet, a British actor. His father was Jack Suchet, who emigrated to England from South Africa in 1932, and trained to be a doctor at St Mary's Hospital, London...
fronted a weekly current affairs discussion programme called Who, What, Why, and Trevor MacDonald presented an interview series, Trevor MacDonald Meets.... Other programmes included omnibus editions of ITV soaps Emmerdale
Emmerdale
Emmerdale, is a long-running British soap opera set in Emmerdale , a fictional village in the Yorkshire Dales. Created by Kevin Laffan, Emmerdale was first broadcast on 16 October 1972...
and Coronation Street
Coronation Street
Coronation Street is a British soap opera set in Weatherfield, a fictional town in Greater Manchester based on Salford. Created by Tony Warren, Coronation Street was first broadcast on 9 December 1960...
, and a Saturday football results service.
It is important to consider the distinction between ITV2 as considered between 1955 and 1982 and the ITV2 that was launched in 1998. Like ITV itself, the former would have had a regional structure consisting of many companies competing head-to-head with their counterparts in each region, whilst the latter is operated by one organisation, as a supplement service to the main network.
In June 2004, ITV plc announced that they were going to double the channel's programme budget, and would add more US series and movies. On 1 November 2004, in an attempt to launch ITV3 on Sky, ITV2 moved from 175 to 118 on Sky after ITV plc bought GSkyB for £10millon. As a result, Granada Plus was permanently closed down, with its EPG slot taken by ITV3.
ITV plc launched a one hour timeshift channel
Timeshift channel
A timeshift channel is a television channel carrying a time-delayed rebroadcast of its "parent" channel's output. This channel runs alongside their parent: the term "timeshift" does not refer to a network broadcasting at a later time to reflect a local timezone unless the parent is also available...
of ITV2 on Monday, 30 October 2006. The company is looking to its digital channels to shore up revenues as the ITV Network suffers a decline in viewers. ITV3 +1 was launched on the same day.
ITV2 and its one-hour timeshift channel began broadcasting 24 hours a day on 17 March 2008.
From 11 January 2011, ITV2 +1 on the Freeview
Freeview
DTV Services, trading as Freeview, is the name for the collection of free-to-air services on the Digital Terrestrial Television platform in the UK. The service is jointly run by its five equal shareholders, BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Sky and transmitter operator Arqiva. DTV Services is designed to market...
platform has changed its broadcasting hours to until On 1 June 2011, an additional hour was added in England, Northern Ireland and Scotland, allowing ITV2 +1 to start at On 2 August 2011, ITV2 +1 began to broadcast 24 hours a day on Freeview across the UK, using an eleventh stream created on mux
Multiplex (TV)
A multiplex or mux is a group of TV channels that are mixed together for broadcast over a digital TV channel and separated out again by the receiver...
A.
As part of the changes, ITV2 +1 swapped slots on Sky's electronic programme guide with Men & Motors
Men & Motors
Men & Motors was a men's lifestyle television channel in the UK. It was the last remaining station operated by the former Granada Sky Broadcasting joint venture, set up by Granada Television and satellite broadcaster British Sky Broadcasting in 1996...
, resulting in the timeshift channel making a significant jump from channel 184 to 131. It is now Sky 179.
GMTV2
GMTV2
CITV Breakfast is a British digital television station owned by ITV Breakfast Limited, a consortium of ITV plc. It broadcasts every morning between 06:00 and 09:25 . It was designed to complement its sister channel GMTV, and offered children's programming every day...
programming moved from ITV2 to ITV4. The strand continues to be simulcast on the CITV Channel.
Station identification
Station identification is the practice of radio or television stations or networks identifying themselves on air, typically by means of a call sign or brand name...
s.
ITV2 was launched on UPC Ireland
UPC Ireland
UPC Ireland is Liberty Global Europe's telecommunications operation in Ireland. UPC Ireland is the largest digital cable television provider within the Republic of Ireland. As of September 2010 the company offers broadband internet, digital television and digital telephony to over 531,000 customers...
in the Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
on 4 January 2010, marking the first time the channel has been officially available in the country. The channel had already been (and remains) available to Irish viewers on free-to-air
Free-to-air
Free-to-air describes television and radio services broadcast in clear form, allowing any person with the appropriate receiving equipment to receive the signal and view or listen to the content without requiring a subscription or one-off fee...
satellite for some time, however it is still not listed in the Sky electronic programme guide
Electronic program guide
Electronic program guides and interactive program guides provide users of television, radio, and other media applications with continuously updated menus displaying broadcast programming or scheduling information for current and upcoming programming...
. On 1 April 2011, ITV2 was removed from UPC Ireland along with ITV3 and ITV4 due to the expiry of a carriage agreement between UPC and ITV. UPC Ireland claim that ITV is not in a position to renegotiate the deal because ITV had struck a deal with another channel provider to provide it with exclusive rights to air certain content from the channels. Conversely, UPC Ireland also claims to have been in discussions right up to the last moment in order to continue broadcasting the channels. TV3 Ireland
TV3 Ireland
TV3 is a free-to-air commercial television network in the Republic of Ireland. Launched on 20 September 1998 it was Ireland's first commercial broadcaster. The channel is owned by TV3 Group a subsidiary of Doughty Hanson & Co.-The TV3 Group:...
and its sister channel 3e
3E
3E or 3-E may refer to:*3e, general entertainment channel operated in Ireland*3rd meridian east*Third edition in the Editions of Dungeons & Dragons*NY 3E, alternate name for New York State Route 104*OK-3E, abbreviation for Oklahoma State Highway 3...
already hold carriage agreement to air certain ITV content within the Republic of Ireland, alternatively UTV
UTV
UTV is a television channel based in the UK region of Northern Ireland. The channel is the Channel 3 or Independent Television licensee for Northern Ireland and is operated by UTV Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of UTV Media.- Terrestrial :* Analogue: Normally tuned to 3 * Freeview : 3...
is available within the Republic. ITV2 is available along with ITV3 and ITV4 within Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, all three channels are available on UPC Cablecom.
Most watched programmes
The following is a list of the ten most watched shows on ITV2, based on Live +7 data supplied by BARBBarb
Barb may refer to:* A backward-facing point on a fish hook or similar implement, rendering extraction from the victim's flesh more difficult* Wind barbs for each station on a map of reported weather conditions...
up to 13 November 2011. The number of viewers does not include repeats or airings on ITV2 +1.
| Rank | Show | Episode | Number of Viewers | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Celebrity Juice Celebrity Juice Celebrity Juice is a British television comedy panel game show on ITV2 that has been airing since 24 September, 2008. The show is presented by Keith Lemon, with regular captains Holly Willoughby and Fearne Cotton, alongside regular panellist Rufus Hound... |
6.09 - Ant and Dec | 2,674,000 | 27 October 2011 |
| 2 | Bionic Woman Bionic Woman (2007 TV series) Bionic Woman is an American science fiction television drama created by David Eick, under NBC Universal Television Group, GEP Productions and David Eick Productions that aired in 2007... |
1.01 - Pilot | 2,553,000 | 11 March 2008 |
| 3 | The Xtra Factor | 7.30 - Final | 2,536,000 | 12 December 2010 |
| 4 | Britain's Got More Talent | 3.13 - Final | 2,525,000 | 30 May 2009 |
| 5 | The Xtra Factor | 6.20 - Lucie Jones Eliminated | 2,520,000 | 8 November 2009 |
| 6 | Celebrity Juice Celebrity Juice Celebrity Juice is a British television comedy panel game show on ITV2 that has been airing since 24 September, 2008. The show is presented by Keith Lemon, with regular captains Holly Willoughby and Fearne Cotton, alongside regular panellist Rufus Hound... |
6.11 - I'm a Celebrity... Special | 2,269,000 | 10 November 2011 |
| 7 | Celebrity Juice Celebrity Juice Celebrity Juice is a British television comedy panel game show on ITV2 that has been airing since 24 September, 2008. The show is presented by Keith Lemon, with regular captains Holly Willoughby and Fearne Cotton, alongside regular panellist Rufus Hound... |
5.15 - Coronation Street Vs Emmerdale | 2,246,000 | 19 May 2011 |
| 8 | Britain's Got More Talent | 2.13 - Final | 2,172,000 | 31 May 2008 |
| 9 | The Xtra Factor | 6.30 - Final | 2,145,000 | 13 December 2009 |
| 10 | I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! NOW! | 10.21 - Final | 2,131,000 | 4 December 2010 |
Awards
ITV2 won channel of the year at the Broadcast Digital Channel Awards 2007 on 9 June 2007, and on 25 August of the same year, ITV2 was named non-terrestrial channel of the year at the Edinburgh International Television FestivalEdinburgh International Television Festival
The Edinburgh International Television Festival, founded in 1976, is held annually over the British August bank holiday weekend at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre....
.
ITV2 HD
ITV2 HD, a high-definitionHigh-definition television
High-definition television is video that has resolution substantially higher than that of traditional television systems . HDTV has one or two million pixels per frame, roughly five times that of SD...
simulcast
Simulcast
Simulcast, shorthand for "simultaneous broadcast", refers to programs or events broadcast across more than one medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at the same time. For example, Absolute Radio is simulcast on both AM and on satellite radio, and the BBC's Prom concerts are often...
of ITV2, launched on 7 October 2010 on Sky channel 225. The channel is available through Sky's pay subscription in a non-exclusive deal, ITV has held talks with other providers including Virgin Media. Original HD programming includes entertainment shows, Britain's Got More Talent, The Xtra Factor and I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! NOW!; original drama such as the third and fourth series of Secret Diary of a Call Girl
Secret Diary of a Call Girl
Secret Diary of a Call Girl is a British television drama broadcast on ITV2 from 2007-2011 based on the blog and books by the pseudonymous "Belle de Jour," starring Billie Piper as Belle, a high-class London call girl. The series was written by Lucy Prebble, who is also known as the author of The...
; and acquired content including The Vampire Diaries
The Vampire Diaries
The Vampire Diaries is a young adult vampire horror series of novels written by L. J. Smith. The story centers around Elena Gilbert, a high school girl torn between two vampire brothers. The series was originally a trilogy published in 1991, but pressure from readers led Smith to write a fourth...
and Gossip Girl
Gossip Girl
Gossip Girl is an American young adult novel series written by Cecily von Ziegesar and published by Little, Brown and Company, a subsidiary of the Hachette Group. The series revolves around the lives and romances of the privileged teenagers at the Constance Billard School for Girls, an elite...
and a range of movies.
S2
S2 was a television station broadcast throughout the Scottish and Grampian ITV regions by SMG plc, the holder of the Scottish and Grampian region ITV franchises. S2, which aired on the Digital TerrestrialDigital terrestrial television
Digital terrestrial television is the technological evolution of broadcast television and advance from analog television, which broadcasts land-based signals...
platform, was launched 30 April 1999 and closed just over two years later — as part of a deal with ITV Digital
ITV Digital
ITV Digital was a British digital terrestrial television broadcaster, which launched a pay-TV service on the world's first digital terrestrial television network as ONdigital in 1998 and briefly re-branded as ITV Digital in July 2001, before the service ceased in May 2002. Its main shareholders...
— on 27 July 2001.
By the end of its life, it had lost nearly all of its Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
programmes and mainly simulcast
Simulcast
Simulcast, shorthand for "simultaneous broadcast", refers to programs or events broadcast across more than one medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at the same time. For example, Absolute Radio is simulcast on both AM and on satellite radio, and the BBC's Prom concerts are often...
ITV2, but covered the ITV2 graphic
Digital on-screen graphic
A digital on-screen graphic is a watermark-like station logo that many television broadcasters overlay over a portion of the screen-area of their programs to identify the channel...
with an opaque
Opacity (optics)
Opacity is the measure of impenetrability to electromagnetic or other kinds of radiation, especially visible light. In radiative transfer, it describes the absorption and scattering of radiation in a medium, such as a plasma, dielectric, shielding material, glass, etc...
S2 graphic. This caused controversy and forced the broadcaster further into removing the channel.
UTV2
UTV2 was a television station broadcast by UTV Media plc on Digital Terrestrial TelevisionDigital terrestrial television
Digital terrestrial television is the technological evolution of broadcast television and advance from analog television, which broadcasts land-based signals...
in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
. It was launched in 1999 as TV You. The programming consisted primarily of simulcasts with the ITV2 station shown in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
and the Scottish Borders
Scottish Borders
The Scottish Borders is one of 32 local government council areas of Scotland. It is bordered by Dumfries and Galloway in the west, South Lanarkshire and West Lothian in the north west, City of Edinburgh, East Lothian, Midlothian to the north; and the non-metropolitan counties of Northumberland...
, although they did also use archive broadcasts from UTV
UTV
UTV is a television channel based in the UK region of Northern Ireland. The channel is the Channel 3 or Independent Television licensee for Northern Ireland and is operated by UTV Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of UTV Media.- Terrestrial :* Analogue: Normally tuned to 3 * Freeview : 3...
. UTV2 closed on 22 January 2002 following a deal with ITV Digital
ITV Digital
ITV Digital was a British digital terrestrial television broadcaster, which launched a pay-TV service on the world's first digital terrestrial television network as ONdigital in 1998 and briefly re-branded as ITV Digital in July 2001, before the service ceased in May 2002. Its main shareholders...
and was replaced by ITV2.
Branding
When the channel launched, the logo was very similar in style to the ITV1 logo at the time and ITV were worried the channel looked just like an extension of ITV1 and didn't offer anything new. It was soon after this that the channel received a complete overhaul along with the other ITV channels in 2006.The channel received a new lime green logo which was generally well received by viewers. Six New idents and general presentation were introduced as well as new programming. The lime green colour was chosen as ITV thought it had a young fresh feel to it. The colour has been used now since 2006.
The six new idents all had names beginning with 'Too' to relate to the 2 in the channels name. They were called; "Too Fast", "Too Hot", "Too Cold, "Too Expensive", "Too Glamorous" and "Too Loud". Each of the idents were made up of a mix of shades of green to match the channels logo.
In 2008, the channel received another new look. The green logo was kept but edited. The channel now had a new 3D logo to try and make the channel look more modern and appealing to a younger audience. The new look was praised by many viewers. Six new idents were launched. Each ident had a unique but fresh look and feel to them and were well received.
Idents - 2008–Present
| Name | Description | Air dates |
|---|---|---|
| Buildings | The ident starts in a city full of tall buildings which suddenly erupt with strobes of light. We then move to the countryside with a view of the full city and the light strobes blasting out. The logo becomes part of the scene as it moves behind the tree. | August 2008–present |
| Pool | The camera moves over an extremely clean swimming pool just after someone dives in. Then patterns start to appear on the tiles on the base of the pool including swimmers. | August 2008–present |
| Dancing | Several people start dancing on screen each wearing very different types of footwear. Some dancers appear to dance on one floor while others appear to be dancing on an invisible wall behind. The logo becomes part of the scene as some dancers come in front of the logo. | August 2008–present |
| City | An ordinary looking city street soon becomes full of life and colour when neon signs begin to light up. Many of the signs contain names of current or previous ITV2 programmes such as Secret Diary of a Call Girl and Supernatural. | August 2008–present |
| Nail Polish | A jar of nail polish on a dressing table is knocked over with the polish spilling out and starts flowing over the edge. As it flows, a range of items start to appear from it such as high heels, jewellery and mobile phones. | August 2008–present |
| Couple | A young couple start to passionately make out and remove each others clothing before falling on the bed. The only unusual thing about this ident is all the action takes place in reverse. | August 2008–present |
Programming
- American IdolAmerican IdolAmerican Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
- America's Got TalentAmerica's Got TalentAmerica's Got Talent is an American reality television series on the NBC television network, and part of the global British Got Talent franchise. It is a talent show that features singers, dancers, magicians, comedians, and other performers of all ages competing for the advertised top prize of...
- Britain's Got More Talent
- Celebrity JuiceCelebrity JuiceCelebrity Juice is a British television comedy panel game show on ITV2 that has been airing since 24 September, 2008. The show is presented by Keith Lemon, with regular captains Holly Willoughby and Fearne Cotton, alongside regular panellist Rufus Hound...
- Gossip GirlGossip GirlGossip Girl is an American young adult novel series written by Cecily von Ziegesar and published by Little, Brown and Company, a subsidiary of the Hachette Group. The series revolves around the lives and romances of the privileged teenagers at the Constance Billard School for Girls, an elite...
- Hells Kitchen USAHell's Kitchen (U.S.)Hell's Kitchen is an American reality-television cooking competition broadcast on Fox...
- The Hot DeskThe Hot DeskThe Hot Desk is a British music show hosted by Nicole Appleton, Melanie Blatt, Dave Berry and Emma Willis.The Hot Desk first appeared on ITV Mobile in November of 2007 and represented ITV Mobile's first made-for-mobile commission. It has recently been extended and, from 2008, is shown on ITV2.The...
- I'm a Celebrity...NOW!
- Judge JudyJudge JudyJudge Judy is an American court show featuring former family court judge Judith Sheindlin arbitrating over small claims cases in small claims court...
- Minute to Win ItMinute to Win ItMinute to Win It is an American prime time game show on NBC hosted by Guy Fieri. Contestants take part in a series of 60-second challenges that use objects that are commonly available around the house....
- The Movie Show on ITV2
- Nanny 911Nanny 911Nanny 911 is a reality television show in the United States, which originally aired on FOX ....
- The Only Way Is EssexThe Only Way Is EssexThe Only Way Is Essex, is a British BAFTA award-winning semi-reality show based in Essex, England. It shows "real people in modified situations, saying unscripted lines but in a structured way."...
- Peter Andre: The Next ChapterPeter Andre: The Next ChapterPeter Andre: My Life is a fly-on-the-wall reality TV show on ITV2 that documents the singer and television personality Peter Andre after his separation/divorce from his wife Katie Price...
- The Jeremy Kyle ShowThe Jeremy Kyle ShowThe Jeremy Kyle Show is an award-winning British daytime television tabloid talk show presented by Jeremy Kyle that has been broadcast on ITV since 4 July 2005. The show is recorded and produced by Granada Television at the Granada Studios on Quay Street in Manchester city centre and broadcast each...
(and the US seriesThe Jeremy Kyle Show (U.S. TV series)The Jeremy Kyle Show is an American daytime television tabloid talk show presented by Jeremy Kyle that debuted in the United States and Canada on September 19, 2011. The series is based on Kyle's successful British talk series of the same name, which has been broadcasting on the UK's ITV since July...
coming Autumn 2011) - The Planet's Funniest AnimalsThe Planet's Funniest AnimalsThe Planet's Funniest Animals is a United States television program featured on the Animal Planet cable channel.-Background:Following a similar format as America's Funniest Home Videos and others, the program shows a series of home movies on video submitted by viewers featuring humorous and odd...
- The Real Housewives
- The X Factor USAThe X Factor (U.S.)The X Factor is an American television music competition to find new singing talent. The show is produced by creator Simon Cowell's company SYCOtv. It premiered on September 21, 2011 on Fox....
- The Xtra Factor
- The Vampire DiariesThe Vampire DiariesThe Vampire Diaries is a young adult vampire horror series of novels written by L. J. Smith. The story centers around Elena Gilbert, a high school girl torn between two vampire brothers. The series was originally a trilogy published in 1991, but pressure from readers led Smith to write a fourth...
- The Wizard of OzThe Wizard of Oz (1939 film)The Wizard of Oz is a 1939 American musical fantasy film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was directed primarily by Victor Fleming. Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson and Edgar Allan Woolf received credit for the screenplay, but there were uncredited contributions by others. The lyrics for the songs...
(annually)