ITV Nightscreen
| ITV Nightscreen | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Production | |
| Running time | Varies |
| Production company(s) | Gower Creative Communications |
| Release | |
| Original network |
ITV, STV, UTV, ITV2, ITV3, ITV4, ITVBe, ITV Encore |
| Original release | 1998 – present |
| External links | |
| Production website |
www |
ITV Nightscreen is a scheduled programme on the United Kingdom's ITV television network, consisting of a sequence of animated pages of information about ITV's upcoming programmes, features and special events, with an easy listening music soundtrack. The programme is used to fill the station's overnight downtime, where a closedown would have once been used at the end of programmes. Previously it began after the final programme in the night and finishes at 05:30 every day, but recently ITV have started airing The Jeremy Kyle Show at 5:05 am – 6:00 am, giving Nightscreen a shorter airtime with it starting usually at around 3:15–3:45 and finishing at 5:05, and other ITV channels use teleshopping. ITV Encore sometimes uses Nightscreen, even though it is cable television.
It was first broadcast in 1998, and consisted of teletext pages taken from the ITV regional teletext services, with interstitial teletext-based animations in a similar style to the former 4-Tel On View, which had also been produced by the Intelfax). Since 2003 the screens have been produced using Scala InfoChannel3. In early 2009, updated systems were installed with the latest version of Scala5, with a dual redundant system to counter any issues of service. In April 2012, the system was upgraded again to a newer version of Scala5. This, amongst other minor presentational changes, allowed compatibility of the service to be transmitted in 16:9 widescreen for the first time, as opposed to 4:3.
Nightscreen has, in the past, been criticised for highlighting programmes which had already aired, and for some careless typing and spelling errors but now regularly avoids doing this. As well as providing focus on upcoming programmes, films and TV listings, it also offers some news from the world of entertainment. In the past it also offered sports news and even on some occasions cooking tips, recipes and also fact files of characters from famous ITV shows such as Emmerdale and Coronation Street.
The Scala system was provided by Beaver Group, and the programme is currently produced by Gower Creative Communications.
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