ITV4 - The Launch, Tuesday 1st November 2005

After a long time coming ITV4 launched at 7pm, it was the first ITV channel to get the new ITV corporate logo, about 2 months before the other ITV channels did. The station displaced the evening hours of ITV News on DTT, at this time ITV4 was only broadcasting from 6pm to 6am. As of Monday 7th June 2010, ITV4 will operate a full 24hr schedule, displacing GMTV2.

Jim Rosenthal was the first presenter on the channel, and the match was Real Betis Vs Chelsea. I do remember it got about 1 million in the ratings.

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• ITV4
• ITV1
• ITV
• 2005
• yt:stretch=16:9

[FrancisIdents]

Funny how ITV4 was the first to get the current font, and the others only got it in January. Wonky, much?

[steviegTVreturns]

@FrancisIdents I thought it was a bit daft too, but I remember around the time that this look should have debuted after ITV50, but it didn't happen, but ITV4's was ready. They did have a |i|t|v| logo ready for ITV4, but it never happened, obviously.

[HoshiNoKaabii2000]

Will there be an ITV5? There might be! There might be one on board in 2012!

[CI5AgentSweeps]

I do recall ITV4 broadcasting "Man In A Suitcase" Monday evenings at 6pm. This would have been shortly after the channel launched.

[2007TopGearDog]

I also remember the press stirring a storm in a teacup over ITV's inability to strike a carriage deal with Sky in time for the launch night (how familiar does that sentence sound?). This would have meant Chelsea fans missing out unless they acquired a Freeview box. That was until "ITV4 on Men & Motors" stepped in to save the day of course!

Looking back now, why they didn't simulcast the launch night on the more prominent (and former second home of the UCL) ITV2 is beyond me.