Popular TV channel shuts down for good tonight after 11 years in major shake-up

Daily Record

4 hours ago

ITV has announced that it is shutting down the ITVBe channel - the home of reality and unscripted programmes - after 11 years, with ITV Quiz taking over the channel's slot
A popular TV channel is shutting down for good today after 11 years on air as part of a major broadcast shake-up. ITVBe, which first launched in 2014, became the home of reality and unscripted shows such as The Only Way Is Essex (TOWIE) and The Real Housewives franchise.
Comedy fans have also enjoyed American favourites like Jane the Virgin and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend on the channel. However, after tonight, ITVBe will no longer exist, with its reality programmes set to move to a new home as part of a merger with ITV2.
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These shows will join other popular ITV2 staples such as Love Island and Big Brother, and will remain available from streaming on ITVX as announced earlier this year.
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ITVBe's channel slot will be replaced by ITV Quiz, which will feature a lineup of the TV network's quiz and game shows, the Mirror reports.
The line-up will feature shows such as Wheel of Fortune, Tipping Point, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, Lingo, Tenable, Deal or No Deal, The 1% Club, Jeopardy! and Catchphrase.
Meanwhile TOWIE - one of the most popular shows on ITVX - moves to ITV2, with a special 15th anniversary series set to air this autumn.
This isn't the first time TOWIE has been broadcast on ITV2, the reality series originally premiered on the channel in 2010. It helped to launch the careers of Mark Wright, Joey Essex, Lucy Mecklenburgh, Sam Faiers and Dab Osborne. The show remained on ITV2 until 2014, when it transitioned to ITVBe becoming one of its flagship programmes.
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In its announcement earlier this year, ITV said: "ITV2 will now officially become the linear home of all of ITV's best-known reality series, as The Only Way is Essex, The Real Housewives of Cheshire and Real Housewives franchises from around the world move from ITVBe to the UK's most successful digital channel for 16-34s, in June 2025.
"TOWIE and RHOCH join a rich schedule of returning formats, including Love Island and Big Brother, and exciting new commissions which are lined up throughout the remainder of 2025 on ITV2, and will continue to stream on ITVX.
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"The supercharged ITV2 offering also includes animated comedies (Family Guy) original commissions (G'Wed and Transaction) blockbuster movies and younger skewing factual entertainment, like Olivia Attwood's Price of Perfection, which are all also strong performers on ITVX."
"Both Love Island and Big Brother are due to return in the Summer and Autumn months respectively, alongside a second series of Olivia Attwood's Bad Boyfriends, following its talked about debut series in 2024," the announcement continued.
"The Only Way Is Essex will turn 15 meanwhile with a celebratory Autumn series. The move to ITV2 marks a homecoming for TOWIE as part of its 15th anniversary year, having initially debuted its first 12 series on ITV2."
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ITV stated that reality remains the most-watched genre on ITV2 and ITVX, with Love Island and its spin-offs being streamed 2.2 billion times, while Big Brother over 100 million and TOWIE hitting 66 million streams in the 12 months up to April, ITV said.
The statement concluded: "As the flagship commissions move across to their ITV2 broadcast home, ITV will retire the ITVBe brand from its portfolio in June 2025.
"ITV plans to use the channel slot as ITV Quiz, drawing on ITV's popular, market-leading UK quiz and game shows, and the success and learnings of ITVX FAST channels."