TV sets had ITV1 and ITV2 buttons for years before C4 launched.
The television set we got in 1984 still had the buttons marked 'ITV-1' and 'ITV-2', which I felt seemed rather backward thinking, however we didn't have anything at all on the ITV-2 button because Channel 4 hadn't launched in our area yet!
ITV2 had been slated to launch ever since the 1960s, but for various reasons didn't happen and as we know now, actually launched as Channel 4 in 1982 - technically ITV2 in all but name, as it was funded by ITV and had its first few years programmes provided by ITV but was actually publicly owned. Apparently Cameron and friends are looking at privatising Channel 4.
Something unusual at the start of this video - an IBA Christmas themed start-up screen with music that sounds Christmas-like. This, considering it goes straight into Good Morning Britain at 7am, I think dates from Christmas 1983 as that was a Sunday.
This is the first time I've seen an IBA screen dressed up for Christmas, and I don't remember TV-AM ever having Christmas titles as they were still using the same titles they started with up to their close ten years later.
For what it's worth, there's a BBC1 start-up from Christmas morning 1989 on TV Ark featuring strikingly similar music to what the IBA used. I don't think I've ever seen the BBC and ITV use the same library music.
Actually I tell a lie re: Christmas Presentation on TV-AM because I've just found some, from an appearance made by Roy Castle and family, Christmas Day 1984. Admittedly it looks a direct rip-off of the same one the IBA used on their holding card the previous year (see my video above) even down to the holy arrangement The channel belongs to Roy's youngest son, Ben.
I suspect that the iba holding slide would have originated at TV-AM rather than being inserted by the Authority itself. The decorations may well have been entirely unofficial.
I suspect that the iba holding slide would have originated at TV-AM rather than being inserted by the Authority itself. The decorations may well have been entirely unofficial.
The neat fade to black and back up into the title sequence would suggest this