Paul Mortimer, head of digital channels and acquisitions, says the key to CITV’s slate is appealing to kids with humor, with all of the channel’s shows containing some element of cheekiness or irreverence.
And while the channel’s content is split evenly between animation and live action, Mortimer says access to the UK’s Young Audiences Content Fund will create more opportunities for live action moving forward. “As a UK producer with access to this fund, that puts us in pole [or lead] position,” he says. “We used to be a minority partner in an international co-pro, but we can be a majority partner now.”
For animation, CITV continues to look for international partners with a focus on 3D for younger audiences and 2D for older kids.
Overall, Mortimer says a key consideration for the team is whether or not a show has an existing fan base. With so much content available to kids, ITV is interested in IPs that are in some way familiar to the audience.
“You can still be incredibly creative with old IPs, old formats and old characters. You can bring things back to life, contemporize them and deliver them to a young audience in a way that looks fresh,” he says.
Team
Paul Mortimer Head of Digital Channels and Acquisitions
Darren Nartey Senior Programme Acquisitions Executive
Demographic
ITV’s free-to-air kids channel CITV targets kids ages six to 12, with a focus on boy-skewing comedy and action.
Format
2D Animation
3D Animation
Live Action
How to Pitch
Paul Mortimer (commissions) and senior program acquisitions executive Darren Nartey (co-productions, acquisitions and pre-sales) prefer to be approached in person at markets, through meetings.
Contact
Paul Mortimer (paul.mortimer@itv.com) and Darren Nartey (darren.nartey@itv.com) are available through email.
