Local television in the United Kingdom, described in legislation as Local Digital Television Programme Services (L-DTPS), provides a television station for a specific local area. Successful applicants are awarded a sole licence for their chosen area, and are expected to locate their studios within the same area. They broadcast on the digital terrestrial (DTT) system, as used by the national Freeview service.
The independent regulator, Ofcom, invites applications in all areas where transmission is technically possible, and assesses proposals against the statutory criteria.
Availability The multiplexes carrying the stations are operated by Comux, owned by the local TV broadcasters, with operations run by Canis Media.
In England and Northern Ireland, the local channels were on channel 8 and in Scotland and Wales they were originally given channel 45; however, after a number of channel closures, channel 23 was used. Following the closure of BBC Three, the local stations moved to channel 7 in England and Northern Ireland, and channel 8 in Scotland and Wales. Some local stations in England however are broadcast on Channel 8 for other reasons. Some stations are also available (in their local areas) via cable (Virgin Media) channel 159 and satellite (Sky) channel 117 (channel 134 in Wales because channel 117 is already occupied). Channels 168, 169 and 209 (previously 216) were used if a region wants multiple local TV channels on Sky before 1 May 2018.
Phase 1 In May 2012, Ofcom invited bids for local TV services in selected areas.
Primary location Transmitter Winning operator Launch dateOther bids Aberdeen Durris STV2 (Aberdeen) 24 April 2017 Ayr Darvel STV2 (Ayr) 24 April 2017 Basingstoke Hannington That's Hampshire 23 May 2017 Birmingham Sutton Coldfield Big Centre TV 28 February 2015 Bham TV, Made in Birmingham, YourTV Birmingham Brighton and Hove Whitehawk Hill Latest TV 28 August 2014 none Bristol Mendip Made in Bristol 8 October 2014 none Cambridge Sandy Heath That's Cambridge 18 August 2015 none Carlisle Caldbeck That's Carlisle25 July 2017 Cardiff Wenvoe Made in Cardiff 15 October 2014 Cardiff Local TV Dundee Angus STV2 (Dundee) 24 April 2017 Edinburgh Craigkelly STV Edinburgh 12 January 2015 Edinburgh News Network, Made in Edinburgh, Metro8 Edinburgh Glasgow Black Hill STV Glasgow 2 June 2014 Glasgow TV, Made in Glasgow, Metro8 Glasgow Grimsby Belmont Estuary TV 26 November 2013 none Guildford GuildfordThat's Surrey 2 August 2017 Leeds Emley Moor Made in Leeds 6 November 2014 Leeds TV, Metro8 Leeds, NORTH, YourTV Leeds Liverpool Winter Hill Storeton Bay TV Liverpool 4 December 2014 Made in Liverpool, Metro8 Liverpool, Our-TV, YourTV Liverpool London Crystal Palace, Croydon, Hemel Hempstead London TV 31 March 2014 London8, LondonTV, Made in London, YourTV London Maidstone/Tonbridge Bluebell Hill KMTV 11 July 2017 TVKent Manchester Winter Hill That's Manchester 31 May 2015 Made in Manchester, Manchester News Channel, MCR TV, Metro8 Manchester, YourTV Manchester Middlesbrough Bilsdale Made in Teesside30 March 2017 TeesVision Mold Moel-y-Parc Made in North Wales Serch TV Mold Norwich Tacolneston Mustard TV 24 March 2014 NR ONE Nottingham Waltham Nottingham Notts TV 27 May 2014 Television Nottingham Newcastle/Sunderland Pontop Pike Made in Tyne & Wear 12 November 2014 Metro8 Newcastle, NEON-TV, YourTV Newcastle Oxford Oxford That's Oxfordshire 17 April 2015 Oxford 8 Preston/Blackpool Winter Hill That's Lancashire 24 August 2015 Metro8 Preston, YourTV Blackpool & Preston Reading Hannington That's Thames Valley 3 May 2017 Salisbury SalisburyThat's Salisbury19 July 2017 Scarborough Oliver's Mount That's North Yorkshire 1 August 2017 Sheffield Sheffield Sheffield Live TV 23 September 2014 Metro8 Sheffield, YourTV Sheffield Southampton/Portsmouth Rowridge That's Solent 26 November 2014 TV Solent Swansea Kilvey Hill That's Swansea Bay 12 July 2016 Love Swansea York Emley Moor That's York 26 June 2017 none
In August 2012, 57 applications were received to provide these services. Bristol, Brighton & Hove and Grimsby attracted only one bid each. Plymouth and Swansea received no bids from potential broadcasters.
† The owners of Birmingham licence City8 went into administration before the channel launched. The licence was re-awarded to another operator, Big Centre TV.
Phase 2 In March 2013, Ofcom announced that more areas had been selected to invite bids for local television services, in addition to re-advertising the previously un-awarded Swansea and Plymouth locations.
Primary location Transmitter Winning operator Launch dateOther bids Bangor Llanddonanot awarded Bay TV Gwynedd Bedford Sandy Heath not awarded BromsgroveBromsgrove not awarded Derry Londonderry not awarded HerefordRidge Hill It's Hereford 01/02/2018 Inverness Rosemarkie not awarded ICTV (Moray Firth Media Trust) Kidderminster Kidderminster not awarded Limavady not awarded Lincolnshire Belmont That's Lincolnshire Luton Sandy Heath not awarded Malvern Malvern not awarded Plymouth Caradon HillThat's Plymouth Stoke-on-TrentFenton not awarded Bay TV Stoke Stratford-upon-Avon Lark Stoke Upon 8
Local TV variations in 2021 As of February 2021, That's TV broadcast as a semi-national network (one which also uses the That's Christmas or That's New Year name over festive periods) with a local opt-out at 6pm for regional news, and a service streaming to the whole country via the VisionTV platform on channel 264 (which includes extra pop videos rather than the local news). Local Television Limited has nine licences in the United Kingdom, eight branded as Local TV operating as part as the Local Digital Television Programme, while the ninth – Manchester TV on the Greater Manchester multiplex – is separately licensed. NorDig LCN DVB name Notes Licensee/Parent Company Broadcast hours H.222Transport Format7Local TV BirminghamBirmingham and surrounding areas.Local Television Limited24 hoursLTVmux16:9 SDTV7Local TV BristolBristol and surrounding areas.Local Television Limited24 hoursLTVmux16:9 SDTV8Local TV CardiffCardiff and surrounding areas.Local Television Limited24 hoursLTVmux16:9 SDTV7KMTVMaidstone and surrounding areas.KMTV Ltd24 hoursLTVmux16:9 SDTV7Latest TVBrighton and surrounding areas.Latest TV Ltd24 hoursLTVmux16:9 SDTV7Local TV LeedsLeeds and surrounding areas.Local Television Limited24 hoursLTVmux16:9 SDTV7Local TV LiverpoolLiverpool and surrounding areas.Local Television Limited 24 hoursLTVmux16:9 SDTV8London LiveLondon and surrounding areas.ESTV24 hoursLTVmux16:9 SDTV8Local TV North WalesMold, Denbigh, Ruthin, and surrounding areas.Local Television Limited24 hoursLTVmux16:9 SDTV7NVTVBelfast and surrounding areas.Northern Visions Ltd24 hoursLTVmux16:9 SDTV7Sheffield Live!Sheffield and surrounding areas.Sheffield Live TV24 hoursLTVmux16:9 SDTV7Local TV TeessideMiddlesbrough, Teesside and surrounding areas.Local Television Limited24 hoursLTVmux16:9 SDTV7That's Cambridge Cambridge and surrounding areas.That's Television Ltd24 hoursLTVmux16:9 SDTV7That's CumbriaCarlisle and surrounding areas.That's Television Ltd24 hoursLTVmux16:9 SDTV7That's HampshireBasingstoke and surrounding areas.That's Television Ltd24 hoursLTVmux16:9 SDTV7That's HumberGrimsby, Hull and surrounding areas.That's Television Ltd24 hoursLTVmux16:9 SDTV7That's LancashirePreston and surrounding areas.That's Television Ltd24 hoursLTVmux16:9 SDTV7That's ManchesterGreater Manchester and surrounding areas.That's Television Ltd24 hoursLTVmux16:9 SDTV7That's North YorkshireScarborough and surrounding areas.That's Television Ltd24 hoursLTVmux16:9 SDTV7That's OxfordshireOxford and surrounding areas.That's Television Ltd24 hoursLTVmux16:9 SDTV7That's Salisbury Salisbury and surrounding areas.That's Television Ltd24 hoursLTVmux16:9 SDTV7That's ScarboroughScarborough and surrounding areas.That's Television Ltd24 hoursLTVmux16:9 SDTV8That's ScotlandAberdeen, Ayr, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow, and surrounding areas.That's Television Ltd24 hoursLTVmux16:9 SDTV7That's SolentPortsmouth, Southampton and surrounding areas.That's Television Ltd24 hoursLTVmux16:9 SDTV7That's Surrey Guildford and surrounding areas.That's Television Ltd24 hoursLTVmux16:9 SDTV7That's Swansea BaySwansea and surrounding areas.That's Television Ltd24 hoursLTVmux16:9 SDTV7That's Thames ValleyReading and surrounding areas.That's Television Ltd24 hoursLTVmux16:9 SDTV7That's Norfolk Norwich and surrounding areas.That's Television Ltd24 hoursLTVmux16:9 SDTV7That's YorkYork and surrounding areas.That's Television Ltd24 hoursLTVmux16:9 SDTV7Local TV Tyne & WearTyne & Wear and surrounding areas.Local Television Limited24 hoursLTVmux16:9 SDTV99Manchester TVManchester's second local channel after That's Manchester is licensed like a standard channel alongside services like Now 90s and Clubland and so is not part of the Local Digital Television Programme.Local Television Limited24 hoursGImux16:9 SDTV
See also Timeline of local television in the UK
References
External links Indicative locations for local television multiplexes: Initial technical assessment A new framework for local TV in the UK