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.[1]
The multiplexes carrying the stations are operated by Comux, owned by the local TV broadcasters, with operations run by Canis Media.[2]
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.
In May 2012, Ofcom invited bids for local TV services in selected areas.[3]
| Primary location | Transmitter | Winning operator[4] | Launch date | Other bids[5] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aberdeen | Durris | STV2 (Aberdeen) | 24 April 2017 | ||
| Ayr | Darvel | STV2 (Ayr) | 24 April 2017 | ||
| Basingstoke | Hannington | That's Hampshire | 23 May 2017 | ||
| Belfast | Divis | NVTV | 29 September 2014 | Made in Belfast | |
| 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 | Madingley | That's Cambridge | 18 August 2015 | none | |
| Carlisle | Caldbeck | That's Carlisle | 25 July 2017 | ||
| Cardiff | Wenvoe | Made in Cardiff | 15 October 2014 | Cardiff Local TV | |
| Dundee | Angus | STV2 (Dundee) | 24 April 2017 | ||
| Edinburgh | Craigkelly | STV Edinburgh[6] | 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[7] | 26 November 2013 | none | |
| Guildford | Guildford | That's Surrey[8] | 2 August 2017 | ||
| Leeds | Emley Moor | Made in Leeds[9] | 6 November 2014 | Leeds TV, Metro8 Leeds, NORTH, YourTV Leeds | |
| Liverpool | Winter HillStoreton | Bay TV Liverpool[10] | 4 December 2014 | Made in Liverpool, Metro8 Liverpool, Our-TV, YourTV Liverpool | |
| London | Crystal Palace, Croydon, Hemel Hempstead | London Live[11] | 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 Teesside[12] | 30 March 2017 | TeesVision | |
| Mold | Moel-y-Parc | Made in North Wales[13] | Serch TV Mold | ||
| Norwich | Tacolneston | Mustard TV[14] [15] | 24 March 2014 | NR ONE | |
| Nottingham | WalthamNottingham | Notts TV | 27 May 2014 | Television Nottingham | |
| Newcastle/Sunderland | Pontop Pike | Made in Tyne & Wear[16] | 12 November 2014 | Metro8 Newcastle, NEON-TV, YourTV Newcastle | |
| Oxford | Oxford | That's Oxfordshire[17] | 17 April 2015 | Oxford 8, Oxford 8 | |
| Preston/Blackpool | Winter Hill | That's Lancashire[18] | 24 August 2015 | Metro8 Preston, YourTV Blackpool & Preston | |
| Reading | Hannington | That's Thames Valley[19] | 3 May 2017 | ||
| Salisbury | Salisbury | That's Salisbury[20] | 19 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 | Bilsdale | That's York | 26 June 2017 | none |
In August 2012, 57 applications were received to provide these services.[21] [22] Bristol, Brighton & Hove and Grimsby attracted only one bid each.[23] Plymouth and Swansea received no bids from potential broadcasters.[24]
† The owners of Birmingham licence City8 went into administration before the channel launched. The licence was re-awarded to another operator, Big Centre TV.[25]
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.[26]
| Primary location | Transmitter | Winning operator | Launch date | Other bids[27] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bangor | Llanddona | not awarded[28] | Bay TV Gwynedd | ||
| Bedford | not awarded | ||||
| Bromsgrove | not awarded | ||||
| Derry | Londonderry | not awarded | |||
| Hereford | 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 Hill | That's Plymouth | |||
| Stoke-on-Trent | not awarded | Bay TV Stoke | |||
| Stratford-upon-Avon | Lark Stoke | Upon 8 |
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).[29] 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.[30] [31]
| NorDig LCN | DVB name | Notes | Licensee/ Parent Company | Broadcast hours | H.222 Transport | Format | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | Local TV Birmingham[32] [33] | Birmingham and surrounding areas. | Local Television Limited | 24 hours | LTVmux | 16:9 SDTV | |
| 7 | Local TV Bristol[34] | Bristol and surrounding areas. | Local Television Limited | 24 hours | LTVmux | 16:9 SDTV | |
| 8 | Local TV Cardiff | Cardiff and surrounding areas. | Local Television Limited | 24 hours | LTVmux | 16:9 SDTV | |
| 7 | KMTV | Maidstone and surrounding areas. | KMTV Ltd | 24 hours | LTVmux | 16:9 SDTV | |
| 7 | Latest TV | Brighton and surrounding areas. | Latest TV Ltd | 24 hours | LTVmux | 16:9 SDTV | |
| 7 | Local TV Leeds[35] | Leeds and surrounding areas. | Local Television Limited | 24 hours | LTVmux | 16:9 SDTV | |
| 7 | Local TV Liverpool[36] | Liverpool and surrounding areas. | Local Television Limited | 24 hours | LTVmux | 16:9 SDTV | |
| 8 | London Live | London and surrounding areas. | ESTV | 24 hours | LTVmux | 16:9 SDTV | |
| 8 | Local TV North Wales[37] | Mold, Denbigh, Ruthin, and surrounding areas. | Local Television Limited | 24 hours | LTVmux | 16:9 SDTV | |
| 7 | Notts TV | Nottingham and surrounding areas. | Confetti Media Group | 24 hours | LTVmux | 16:9 SDTV | |
| 7 | NVTV | Belfast and surrounding areas. | Northern Visions Ltd | 24 hours | LTVmux | 16:9 SDTV | |
| 7 | Sheffield Live![38] [39] | Sheffield and surrounding areas. | Sheffield Live TV | 24 hours | LTVmux | 16:9 SDTV | |
| 7 | Local TV Teesside[40] | Middlesbrough, Teesside and surrounding areas. | Local Television Limited | 24 hours | LTVmux | 16:9 SDTV | |
| 7 | That's Cambridge | Cambridge and surrounding areas. | That's Television Ltd | 24 hours | LTVmux | 16:9 SDTV | |
| 7 | That's Cumbria | Carlisle and surrounding areas. | That's Television Ltd | 24 hours | LTVmux | 16:9 SDTV | |
| 7 | That's Hampshire | Basingstoke and surrounding areas. | That's Television Ltd | 24 hours | LTVmux | 16:9 SDTV | |
| 7 | That's Humber | Grimsby, Hull and surrounding areas. | That's Television Ltd | 24 hours | LTVmux | 16:9 SDTV | |
| 7 | That's Lancashire | Preston and surrounding areas. | That's Television Ltd | 24 hours | LTVmux | 16:9 SDTV | |
| 7 | That's Manchester | Greater Manchester and surrounding areas. | That's Television Ltd | 24 hours | LTVmux | 16:9 SDTV | |
| 7 | That's North Yorkshire | Scarborough and surrounding areas. | That's Television Ltd | 24 hours | LTVmux | 16:9 SDTV | |
| 7 | That's Oxfordshire | Oxford and surrounding areas. | That's Television Ltd | 24 hours | LTVmux | 16:9 SDTV | |
| 7 | That's Salisbury | Salisbury and surrounding areas. | That's Television Ltd | 24 hours | LTVmux | 16:9 SDTV | |
| 7 | That's Scarborough | Scarborough and surrounding areas. | That's Television Ltd | 24 hours | LTVmux | 16:9 SDTV | |
| 8 | That's Scotland | Aberdeen, Ayr, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow, and surrounding areas. | That's Television Ltd | 24 hours | LTVmux | 16:9 SDTV | |
| 7 | That's Solent | Portsmouth, Southampton and surrounding areas. | That's Television Ltd | 24 hours | LTVmux | 16:9 SDTV | |
| 7 | That's Surrey | Guildford and surrounding areas. | That's Television Ltd | 24 hours | LTVmux | 16:9 SDTV | |
| 7 | That's Swansea Bay | Swansea and surrounding areas. | That's Television Ltd | 24 hours | LTVmux | 16:9 SDTV | |
| 7 | That's Thames Valley | Reading and surrounding areas. | That's Television Ltd | 24 hours | LTVmux | 16:9 SDTV | |
| 7 | That's Norfolk | Norwich and surrounding areas. | That's Television Ltd | 24 hours | LTVmux | 16:9 SDTV | |
| 7 | That's York | York and surrounding areas. | That's Television Ltd | 24 hours | LTVmux | 16:9 SDTV | |
| 7 | Local TV Tyne & Wear[41] | Tyne & Wear and surrounding areas. | Local Television Limited | 24 hours | LTVmux | 16:9 SDTV | |
| 99 | Manchester TV | Manchester'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 Limited | 24 hours | GImux | 16:9 SDTV |