ITV is planning to launch its own kids station this Autumn after talks
over a joint venture with Nickelodeon fell through.

Earlier this year the broadcasters confirmed that the project - which
had the working title 'INK' (ITV Nickelodeon Kids) - was in
development but that "detailed legal negotations" were slowing things
down.

"We just got to the point of thinking that it was more sustainable for
us to do it ourselves," a 'senior' ITV source told Broadcast this
week. "The deal fizzled out over a period of time. We tried to make
[the deal] work and it wasn't for the want of trying - but it was a
difficult one."

The ITV kids channel will launch towards the end of the year,
broadcasting during the daytime hours of new male-skewed station ITV4.


This means Sooty could most likely have a slot on the channel. It will
be the current seasons of Sooty that might get air time but if they do
a retro block of classic CITV shows then Sooty & Co or The Sooty Show
might get reshown on tv.
But so far this is an "if" as nothing is certain about which series of
Sooty will get shown or if Sooty will get shown at all. But lets all
live in hope because this is the first good news about Sooty on TV for
this year.

BRIAN