The ITV television network of the United Kingdom is divided into a number of geographical regions.
Since 2002, all regions share the same programming except for regional news, weather, advertising and some local political content. Before then, the regions were independent stations, each with its own schedule and branding.
Current regions
The table below lists the current 14 regions and 23 sub-regions for ITV and its two associated channels, the timeshifted ITV +1 and the high-definition ITV HD.
While the main SD channels (ITV1, UTV, and STV) on the Freeview platform provide a service for all 23 sub-regions, some sub-regional services are not available on some of the other channels and platforms, and another service is substituted instead, as indicated in the table.
Most Freeview transmitter areas overlap to some extent, so ITV regional services can often be received beyond the service areas indicated. Regional and sub-regional news and weather coverage may extend to include overlap areas.
The other ITV channels such as ITV2, ITV3 and ITV4, are not divided into regions, and each broadcasts a single service across the country.
Map ref Freeview Satellite Virgin Media Service area SD +1 HD HDSD satellite transmissions (except for two STV regions) ceased in October 2024: +1 HD/SD +1 ITV Anglia (East) Anglia (East) Meridian (East) Anglia (East) Meridian (East) Anglia (East) Meridian (East) Norfolk, Suffolk, eastern and northern Essex ITV Anglia (West) Anglia (West) Anglia (West) Cambridgeshire, most of Northamptonshire, Bedfordshire, north Hertfordshire, northeastern Buckinghamshire (including Milton Keynes) and southeastern fringes of Lincolnshire and Leicestershire ITV Border (England) Granada Granada Border (England) Granada Border (England) Granada Central and northern Cumbria ITV Border (Scotland) Border (Scotland) Dumfries and Galloway and Scottish Borders ITV Central (East Midlands) Central (West Midlands) Central (West Midlands) Central (East Midlands) Central (West Midlands) Central (East Midlands) Central (West Midlands) Leicestershire, central and southern Derbyshire, southern Nottinghamshire, Rutland and southwestern Lincolnshire ITV Central (West Midlands) Central (West Midlands) Central (West Midlands) Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, the West Midlands, Worcestershire and northern Gloucestershire 4 ITV Channel Channel Channel Islands ITV Granada Granada Granada Granada Granada Granada Granada Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Merseyside, northwestern Derbyshire, south Cumbria, western North Yorkshire and Isle of Man ITV London London London London London London London Greater London, southern and western Essex, north western Kent, north eastern West Sussex, Surrey, eastern Berkshire, southern Bedfordshire, southern Buckinghamshire, and most of Hertfordshire ITV Meridian (East) Meridian (East) Meridian (East) Meridian (East) Meridian (East) Meridian (East) Meridian (East) Kent, East Sussex, eastern West Sussex, southeastern Surrey and southern Essex ITV Meridian (West) Meridian (West) Meridian (West) Central and southern Hampshire, West Sussex, Isle of Wight, central and eastern Dorset, and southeastern Wiltshire ITV Meridian (Thames Valley) Meridian (Thames Valley) Meridian (Thames Valley) Oxfordshire, central and northwestern Buckinghamshire, western Berkshire, northern Hampshire, western Surrey, eastern Gloucestershire and southwestern Northamptonshire STV (Edinburgh & the East) STV (Glasgow & the West) STV (Glasgow & the West) STV (Edinburgh & the East) (only SD on Freesat) rowspan="2" STV (Edinburgh & the East) STV (Glasgow & the West) Clackmannanshire, East Lothian, Edinburgh, Fife (except North East Fife), Midlothian and West Lothian STV (Glasgow & the West) STV (Glasgow & the West) STV (Glasgow & the West) Argyll and Bute, East Ayrshire, East Dunbartonshire, East Renfrewshire, Falkirk, Glasgow, Inverclyde, Lochaber, North Ayrshire, North Lanarkshire, Renfrewshire, Stirling, South Ayrshire, South Lanarkshire, West Dunbartonshire. STV (Aberdeen & the North) STV (Aberdeen & the North) STV (Glasgow & the West) STV (Aberdeen & the North) rowspan="2" Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Highland (except Lochaber), Moray, na h-Eileanan Siar, Orkney and Shetland STV (Dundee & Tayside) STV (Dundee & Tayside) (only SD on Freesat) STV (Dundee & Tayside) STV (Aberdeen & the North) Angus, Dundee, North East Fife, Perth and Kinross ITV Tyne Tees Tyne Tees Granada Tyne Tees Granada Tyne Tees Granada County Durham, Northumberland, Teesside, Tyne and Wear and northern North Yorkshire UTV UTV UTV UTV ITV Granada UTV UTV Northern Ireland ITV Cymru Wales Wales Wales Wales Central (West Midlands) Wales Central (West Midlands) Wales ITV West Country (West)formerly known as "West Country (east)" and earlier as "West" West Country (West) Central (West Midlands) West Country (West) Central (West Midlands) West Country (West) Central (West Midlands) Bristol, Forest of Dean, southern Gloucestershire, most of Wiltshire, northern fringes of Dorset and Somerset ITV West Country (South West)formerly known as "West Country (west)" and earlier as "Westcountry" West Country (South West) West Country (South West) West Country (South West) Devon, Cornwall, western Somerset and western Dorset ITV Yorkshire (South) Yorkshire (North) Granada Yorkshire (South) Granada Yorkshire (South) Granada East Riding of Yorkshire, most of Lincolnshire, central Nottinghamshire (only Mansfield and Newark), and northwestern Norfolk ITV Yorkshire (North) Yorkshire (North) Yorkshire (North) South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, central and southern North Yorkshire, northeastern Derbyshire and northern Nottinghamshire
History
Regional branding 1955–2006 Independent Television began as a franchised network of independently owned regional companies that were both broadcasters and programme makers. Each regional station was responsible for its own branding, scheduling and advertising, with many peak-time programmes shared simultaneously across the whole network. The companies serving London, the Midlands, North West England and Yorkshire (which were the first to start broadcasting in 1955 and 1956) were responsible for making or commissioning the majority of nationally networked programmes; these companies were known as the "Big Four" before 1968 and the "Big Five" afterwards (reflecting the number of companies). Every company made its own regional programmes.
The network began with companies serving London in 1955, and gradually grew until all companies were on air by 1962, and continued to grow as more transmitters were provided for existing companies during the 1960s and 1970s. Over time, some companies lost their franchises and were replaced by others, and the regions covered by some franchises were changed. From 1993, mergers between ITV companies became possible; as a result, companies began to take each other over to increase efficiencies and to expand. By 2004, all of the ITV franchises in England and Wales were owned by the newly formed ITV plc, the four other franchises being Scottish TV, Grampian TV, UTV and Channel.
Regional continuity branding
The list below indicates the on-air brand names predominantly used by each regional company, which may differ from the official company name or franchise name. Each company used its own branding: as station identification in continuity announcements and programme trailers in its own region; within its own regional news programmes; as production logos on every programme that it made or commissioned (whether for local or national broadcast).Production logos appeared immediately after programmes ("endcaps") and also, on ITV until 1989, immediately before ("frontcaps"). Thus companies' brands were often seen by viewers outside their own areas, especially the Big Four/Five brands. From 1989, a national ITV corporate identity was established, which saw regional brands combined with the national ITV brand, although the balance between regional and national brands varied from company to company.
By 2002, all regional companies in England and Wales were owned by either Granada plc or Carlton Communications. These companies carried identical schedules, except for regional news and weather which continued to use joint regional and ITV1 branding. At all other times national ITV1 branding alone was used in England but not Wales. Two years later, Granada and Carlton merged to form ITV plc. Regional branding in England was completely abolished in 2006.
Some regions were divided into sub-regions for the purposes of regional news and advertising, but these sub-regions were not usually identified by on-air branding and consequently are not shown here (with the exception of Wales and the West of England which, after 1964, were managed under a single franchise but are shown as separate regions).
Area First on air 1955–1968April 2001, "Independent Television: A short chronology (1954-1997)" , Soundcapes Volume 4, , accessed 8 May 2019 1968–1982 1982–1992 1993–2002 2002–2006ITV1 regional names in England were used only before regional programmes Northern Scotland 30 September 1961 Grampian Grampian Television Grampian TVFrom 2000 Central Scotland 31 August 1957 Scottish Television / STV Scottish Television Scottish TV Northern Ireland 31 October 1959 Ulster Television UTV Channel Islands 1 September 1962 Channel Television Channel Television / CTV CTV Channel North East England 15 January 1959 Tyne Tees Television TTTV / Tyne Tees TTTV / Tyne Tees / North East 3"North East 3" branding (also "Channel 3 North East") was used between 1996 and 1998 ITV1 Tyne Tees Southern Scotland,Cumbria, Isle of Man 1 September 1961 Border Television Border ITV1 Border North West England 3 May 1956 Granada ITV1 Granada Yorkshire 3 November 1956 Yorkshire Television Yorkshire Television ITV1 Yorkshire Lincolnshire, East Riding of Yorkshire 20 December 1965 Anglia Anglia Yorkshire Television "Belmont TimeLine", thebigtower.com, accessed 17 March 2021 East of England 27 October 1959 Anglia ITV1 Anglia MidlandsArea served by "Big Four" or "Big Five" companies 17 February 1956 ATV Central South and South East England 30 August 1958 Southern TVS Meridian ITV1 Meridian London area 22 September 1955 ITV1 Wales 14 September 1962 Teledu Cymru HTV Wales HTV ITV1 Wales Teledu Cymru Temporarily branded as "Independent Television Service Teledu Cymru" for a three-month transitional period in 1968 South Wales and West of England 14 January 1958 TWW Temporarily branded as "Independent Television Service for South Wales and the West" for a three-month transitional period in 1968 HTV colspan="3" West of England 30 May 1970 colspan="2" HTV West HTV South West England 29 April 1961 Westward Westward TV TSW Nationwide breakfast franchise 1 February 1983 colspan="3" 6 am to 9.15 am daily 6 am to 9.25 am daily Nationwide teletext franchise 1978 colspan="2" ORACLE Teletext
In the table above coloured highlights denote companies whose broadcasting times were limited: denotes weekdays only; denotes weekends only; denotes breakfast time only (when all other ITV franchises were off air).
Ownership of regional companies
National branding from 2002
From 2002, all regional companies in England used national ITV1 branding alone for networked programmes. Similarly in Scotland, both the Scottish and Grampian regions were rebranded in 2006 as "STV" at all times.
National continuity branding
Continuity branding used for networked programmes, that is, excluding regional programmes.
Area 2002–2006 2006–2013 2013–2020 2020–2022 from 2022 2013 Northern Scotland Grampian TV STV Central Scotland Scottish TV Northern Ireland UTV Channel Islands Channel Channel Television ITV ITV1 England, Southern Scotland, Isle of Man ITV1Until 2006, regional programmes outside London were preceded by continuity with joint ITV1/regional branding Wales ITV1 Wales
Franchise and news regions