Draft:The Children's Channel

Background
The Children's Channel, also known as TCC, was launched by Starstream, a joint venture of British Telecom, DC Thomson, Thames Television and Thorn EMI, on the original Eutelsat satellite in the United Kingdom, the Middle East and Africa on 1 September 1984. Over the years, the network broadcast programmes for younger children and, later, teenagers, with most of its programming output being archive animated series from the 1980s, and later Fox Kids shows, including those from Saban Entertainment.

The network launched TCC as a two-hour block in 1992, but by 1994, the TCC name was being used all day long. It also launched Tiny TCC, a strand for toddlers and preschoolers launched on 11 September 1995. However, a big blow was dealt to the network when News Corporation launched a Fox Kids channel in the UK, taking with it most of Fox and Saban's library.

On 3 February 1997, the network reverted to its original name and demographic, running side by side with Trouble, which held all the programmes targeting older children from then on. On 3 April 1998, due to massively falling ratings, TCC's original operations on Eutelsat's Hot Bird unexpectedly and silently closed after 14 years. On 5 October, it was taken off Cable & Wireless as well.

An advertisement-free version of TCC, "TCC Nordic," was created by then-owners Flextech due to a pre-agreed contract signed some years before to air TCC in Scandinavia until 1 October 2000; the TCC Nordic feed was also used by Cable & Wireless during TCC's last months on that service. On 30 September 2000, when the Nordic feed's contract expired, TCC closed entirely. The website stayed running until late 2005.

1st Ident (1 September 1984-1989)
Visuals: On a /black gradient background, we see many lines forming a star shape. The lines wiggle a bit while they're forming. The lines become and the lines inside the star disappear. The star flies over a ribbon shape which flies down from the top of the screen. The word "Children's" falls letter by letter with a star dotting the "i". The ribbon flies on screen with two oblong shapes with "The" in one of the shapes. The star from before flies down with a trailing effect and lands on one of the shapes, wiping in the word "Channel" and resting next to it. A and white line appears in the words at the near end.

Variant: There was a short version which is a little bit different. The main part is already formed and the shapes flip in instead of coming out of the main part. The star also rotates.

Technique: CGI.

Audio: A bouncy synthesizer tune. The short version has a short version of the tune.

Availability: The long and short versions of this ident appear at the start and end of the 1988 UK VHS release of Jack in the Box Vol 2: The Animals Went in Two by Two from Screen Legends.

2nd Ident (1989-1991)
Visuals: On a background, we see bubbles and pictures of the shows shown on the channel for the time. The logo, with a more print look this time, zooms out from the right of the screen.

Technique: CGI.

Audio: A harp and flute rendition of the first tune.

3rd Ident (1991-1992)
Visuals: On a white background, we see "Children's Channel" being typing out one by one with flashing screens with CC. The text scrolls across the screen and then bounces down from the top of the screen.

Technique: 2D animation.

Audio: A rock tune.

4th Ident (1992-1993)
Visuals: Unknown

Technique: 2D animation.

Audio: Unknown

5th Ident (1993-1994)


Visuals: Unknown

Technique: 2D animation.

Audio: Unknown

6th Ident (1994-30 September 2000)


Visuals: On a murky background, the then-current TCC logo floats.

Technique: 2D animation.

Audio: The ending theme to the show

Availability: Appears on their shows at the time, like Earthworm Jim.