Local TV Limited

In September 2012, the broadcast regulator Ofcom awarded two licences to Made Television to broadcast local TV services in the Bristol and Cardiff areas.{{cite web |url=https://recombu.com/digital/article/local-tv-in-bristol-made-in-bristol_M10955.html |title=Local TV in Bristol: Made in Bristol awarded licence by Ofcom |website=Recombu |date=19 September 2012 |access-date=2 February 2025}}{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-19648832 |title=Local TV: Made in Cardiff to be capital's new channel |website=BBC News |date=19 September 2012 |access-date=2 February 2025}} Three months later, the company was granted a third licence to serve the Newcastle, Sunderland and Gateshead areas,{{cite web |url=http://www.pressgazette.co.uk/made-tyne-and-wear-awarded-local-tv-licence |title=Made in Tyne and Wear awarded TV licence |website=Press Gazette |date=6 December 2012 |access-date=2 February 2025}} followed in February 2013 by a licence for the Leeds area.{{cite web|title=Ofcom awards Leeds local TV licence|url=http://consumers.ofcom.org.uk/2013/02/ofcom-awards-leeds-local-tv-licence/|publisher=Ofcom|accessdate=1 March 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130430150031/http://consumers.ofcom.org.uk/2013/02/ofcom-awards-leeds-local-tv-licence/|archive-date=30 April 2013|url-status=dead}} In November 2013, the company gained a fifth local TV licence to serve the Middlesbrough and Teesside areas.{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/greenslade/2013/nov/27/local-tv-middlesbrough |title=Made Television and Trinity Mirror land Middlesbrough local TV licence |website=The Guardian |date=27 November 2013 |access-date=2 February 2025}}

Made in Bristol was the first of the company's channels to launch, at 8 p.m. on Wednesday 8 October 2014, followed a week later by its sister station in Cardiff.{{cite web |url=http://consumers.ofcom.org.uk/news/made-in-cardiff-launch/ |title=First Welsh local TV station prepares for launch |website=Ofcom |date=15 October 2014 |access-date=2 February 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160301222825/http://consumers.ofcom.org.uk/news/made-in-cardiff-launch/ |archive-date=1 March 2016 }} Made in Leeds began broadcasting on Thursday 6 November 2014 and Made in Tyne & Wear launched six days later. The channels launched an on-demand service, OnView, in March 2015{{cite web |url=http://www.madetelevision.com/about-us/ |title=Made Television - About Us |website=Made Television |access-date=2 February 2025}} followed in August by live streaming.

In 2016, the company bought two independently run local TV channels: Bay TV Liverpool, shortly after it went into administration in August, followed by Walsall-based Big Centre TV in October.{{cite web|url=http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/liverpools-bay-tv-set-bought-11823036 |title=Liverpool's Bay TV set to be bought days after going into administration|date=31 August 2016}} Bay TV was reopened and relaunched as 'Made in Liverpool' at 6 p.m. on Wednesday 19 October 2016, followed by the relaunch of Big Centre as 'Made in Birmingham' on Tuesday 8 November 2016.{{cite web |url=http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/business/big-centre-tv-acquired-tv-11973072 |title=Big Centre TV acquired by rival network 18 months after launch |website=Birmingham Mail |date=4 October 2016 |access-date=2 February 2025}}

Two further channels launched during the spring of 2017 – Made in Teesside for the Middlesbrough area on Thursday 30 March 2017[https://www.madetelevision.tv/press/made-tv-network-continues-expand-launch-new-channel-teesside/ Made TV network continues to expand with launch of new channel for Teesside], Made Television, 8 March 2017 followed by Made in North Wales for Mold and surrounding areas on Wednesday 26 April 2017.[https://www.madetelevision.tv/press/made-tv-network-continues-expand-launch-made-north-wales/ Made TV network continues to expand with launch of Made in North Wales], Made Television, 20 March 2017

On Thursday 25 May 2017, all Made channels began carrying acquired programming from the UK and Ireland version of factual entertainment channel TruTV as part of a supply agreement with Sony Pictures Television. The channels simulcast TruTV in two daily blocks from 13:00 to 17:00 and 21:00 to 01:00 (20:00 to 00:00 on Tuesdays to accommodate America's Got Talent).{{cite web |url=https://www.madetelevision.tv/press/made-television-reveals-new-summer-line/ |title=Made Television reveals all-new summer line-up |website=Made Television |date=25 May 2017 |access-date=2 February 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170901022512/https://www.madetelevision.tv/press/made-television-reveals-new-summer-line/ |archive-date=1 September 2017 }}{{cite web |url=https://www.madeinbirmingham.tv/programme/trutv-on-made/ |title=TruTV on Made |website=Made Television |date=25 May 2017 |access-date=2 February 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170901023417/https://www.madeinbirmingham.tv/programme/trutv-on-made/ |archive-date=1 September 2017 }} From November 2017, the Made channels began simulcasting CBS Reality for 11 hours a day.

In November 2017, following a restructuring of the Made network's operations,{{cite web |url=http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/business/jobs-axed-made-birmingham-tv-13810191 |title=Jobs to be axed at Made in Birmingham TV station |website=Birmingham Post |date=26 October 2017 |access-date=2 February 2025}} local programming was cut and studio production of daily news and magazine programmes was centralised at Made's Leeds and Birmingham channels. Around forty staff across the network were reportedly made redundant.

Following the cutbacks, the network began producing two weekday programmes - Made TV News (broadcast from Leeds) and The Big Daily (initially produced from Birmingham), both including local and networked content. Both programmes were axed in February 2018 and replaced by separate rolling blocks of pre-recorded local news, sport and features

On 2 January 2018, Made Television ceased broadcasting its localised services in Birmingham, Bristol, Leeds, Liverpool and Tyne & Wear on digital satellite. They were replaced by a single, generic Made Television feed featuring a daily three-hour block of local news programming. Made in Cardiff ceased broadcasting on all platforms and was replaced by the generic network feed.{{cite web |url=http://www.a516digital.com/2018/01/made-tv-splits-sky-and-freeview-local.html |title=Made TV splits Sky and Freeview local TV feeds |website=a516digital.com |date=4 January 2018 |access-date=2 February 2025}}

The channels aired a block of localised news and sport alongside networked simulcasted programming from factual entertainment channel CBS Reality.{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/greenslade/2013/nov/27/local-tv-middlesbrough |title=Made Television and Trinity Mirror land Middlesbrough local TV licence |website=The Guardian |date=27 November 2013 |access-date=2 February 2025}}{{cite web|url=http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/liverpools-bay-tv-set-bought-11823036 |title=Liverpool's Bay TV set to be bought days after going into administration|date=31 August 2016}}{{cite web |url=https://www.prolificnorth.co.uk/2017/03/made-television-to-launch-north-wales-service-in-april/ |title=Made Television to launch North Wales service in April |website=Prolific North |date=20 March 2017 |access-date=2 February 2025}}

In January 2021, Local TV Limited began broadcasting a service targeting viewers in Manchester. Unlike the group's other channels, Manchester TV is not the official local-TV service provider; That's Manchester occupies the Comux local multiplex slot and LCN 7, with LTV's Manchester TV occupying a lower berth (LCN 99 at launch) and transmitting on the legacy Greater Manchester multiplex originally set up for the defunct Channel M service. When transmissions began, the channel relayed the network Local TV service as provided on satellite.{{cite web |url=https://rxtvinfo.com/2021/manchester-tv-launches-on-freeview-channel-99 |title=Manchester TV launches on Freeview channel 99 |website=RXTV.info |date=January 2021 |access-date=2 February 2025}}

On 15 December 2021, Local TV Manchester abruptly closed on Freeview with the released space given to a Greater Manchester channel from On Demand 365.{{Cite web|last=|title=Freeview Updates|url=https://rxtvinfo.com/freeview-updates|access-date=2021-12-18|website=RXTV info|language=en-GB}}

In 2023, the channels started simulcasting TalkTV's news programmes during the day, with hour long local news bulletins at 13:00, 18:00 and 21:00 (which were also looped overnight) and it was later decided to rebrand all eight channels under the TalkTV name, a move which took place on 18 October 2023.{{cite web |url=https://rxtvinfo.com/2023/local-tv-stations-align-themselves-with-talktv-brand/ |title=Local TV channels align themselves with talk TV brand |website=RXTV.info |access-date=2 February 2025}}

In 2024, the channels were rebranded back to their previous branding following the closure of TalkTV on broadcast television.{{cite news |title=TalkTV closure brought forward; local Freeview channels revert back |url=https://rxtvinfo.com/2024/talktv-closing-next-week/ |access-date=28 April 2024 |work=RXTV |date=24 April 2024}}

In January 2025, Local TV acquired the licence of London Live that broadcast to London and surrounding areas.{{Cite web |last=Kleinman |first=Mark |date=2025-01-05 |title=Montgomery-backed Local TV swoops on Lebedev's London Live licence |url=https://news.sky.com/story/montgomery-backed-local-tv-swoops-on-lebedevs-london-live-licence-13284176 |access-date=2025-06-24 |website=Sky News |language=en}} London Live closed at 23:59 on 19 January and was replaced with London TV the following morning.{{Cite web |last=Tobitt |first=Charlotte |date=2025-01-14 |title=London Live closes after ten years as broadcasting licence to change hands |url=https://pressgazette.co.uk/news/london-live-closes-after-ten-years-as-broadcasting-licence-to-change-hands/ |access-date=2025-06-24 |website=Press Gazette |language=en-US}}{{Cite news |last=Sweney |first=Mark |last2= |first2= |date=2025-01-19 |title=Lebedev’s London Live TV channel closes after decade of mounting losses |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2025/jan/19/lebedevs-london-live-tv-channel-closes-after-decade-of-mounting-losses |access-date=2025-06-24 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}

On 20 October 2021, all of the 5 Local TV versions on channel 117 were removed on Sky. Local TV Cardiff was on channel 135 due to S4C previously occupying channel 117. Local TV Cardiff was renamed Local TV and moved to channel 195, the lowest ranked slot in the EPG's entertainment section and began broadcasting to all of the United Kingdom.{{Cite web|url=https://rxtvinfo.com/2021/sky-local-tv-channel-demotion|title = Sky: Local TV channel demotion|date = 15 October 2021}} All six Local TV services (not Manchester or North Wales) were merged into this new channel with various local news broadcasts over a 2 hour period instead of just one news broadcast.

Local TV Limited's headquarters are at the Leeds Media Centre in the Chapeltown area of Leeds, with studios and offices based at Elgin House in Cardiff city centre, the Toxteth TV studios in the Toxteth suburb of Liverpool and the David Puttnam Media Centre at the University of Sunderland.{{cn|date=October 2024}} Playout and presentation for the network is run from the Leeds headquarters.

On 19 August 2018, Made Television rebranded as Local TV Limited and all sub-channels were renamed according to their city.{{Cite news|url=https://www.uklocal.tv/|title=Local TV LTD {{!}} Always Local, Always Live!|work=Local TV TV|access-date=2018-10-26|language=en-GB}}

By 2021, Local TV's chairman David Montgomery (a newspaper executive, whose company National World was known for taking over JPIMedia in a £10m deal which included papers such as The Scotsman and The Yorkshire Post){{Cite web|last1=Carrell|first1=Severin|last2=Sweney|first2=Mark|date=2020-12-31|title=Owner of Scotsman and Yorkshire Post newspapers bought for £10m|url=http://www.theguardian.com/media/2020/dec/31/owner-of-scotsman-and-yorkshire-post-newspapers-bought-for-10m|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2021-02-03|website=The Guardian|language=en}} outlined plans for a new 'Northern TV Network' which would include Local TV's channels in Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester and Newcastle.{{Cite web|last=Sharman|first=David|date=2 February 2021|title=JPIMedia chairman launches new Manchester TV channel - Journalism News from HoldtheFrontPage|url=https://www.holdthefrontpage.co.uk/2021/news/jpimedia-chairman-launches-new-regional-tv-channel/|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2021-02-03|website=HoldtheFrontPage|language=en-GB}}{{Cite web|date=2021-02-01|title=David Montgomery's local TV network to launch Manchester channel|url=https://www.prolificnorth.co.uk/news/broadcasting-news/2021/02/david-montgomerys-local-tv-network-launch-manchester-channel|access-date=2021-02-03|website=Prolific North|language=en}} The 'NTVN' plans were later quietly dropped.

In 2022, Ofcom agreed to Local TV Limited's proposal to close their production centres in Birmingham, Bristol and on Teesside,{{Cite web|url=https://rxtvinfo.com/2022/local-tv-cuts-as-channels-delivered-remotely|title = Local TV cuts as channels move to remote delivery|date = 17 January 2022}} as the company decided to keep their remote Covid working practices as the company standard.

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• {{Official website}}

{{Local television channels in the United Kingdom}}

Category:Local television channels in the United Kingdom

Category:Television channels and stations established in 2014

Category:Organisations based in Leeds

Category:Mass media companies of the United Kingdom