C5 Announces Changes In Kids’ Programming

Channel 5 has announced a raft of new programmes aimed at pre-schoolers, 7-12 year olds and young teen audiences.

5’s controller of children’s programmes Nick Wilson confirmed that the channel has agreed 2 new commissions, 7 re-commissions and 6 pilots as well as new formats on existing strands during early weekday and weekend schedules.

New pilots will include:

• Boyz and Girls – a living soap focusing on a group of urban teenagers living on a farm throughout the Summer
• Credits – a cinema strand which focuses on one name from a film’s credits and examines their role on the production
• Boy Band Alphabet – an A to Z of boy bands
• Expo – an arts programme for teenagers focusing on unusual performers and festivals

2 Hats Productions is also developing a feature length film script in association with C5 for cinema release while The Mag will get a new look from April. There are also re-commissions for Anything’s Possible, Rad, Inside Out and Havakazoo.

Programmes which will make way for the new shows include Blagger’s Guide and LA Rats, though a spokesman told Newsline that these may be be re-commissioned at a later date. The majority of the extra time however will be made up by extending the amount of overall hours which C5 devotes to children’s slots.

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