YourTV Blackpool & Preston today became the 19th and final bidder to be awarded a licence to run a local TV station in the UK.
The other cities to get local TV on Freeview are Belfast, Birmingham, Brighton & Hove, Bristol, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Grimsby, Leeds, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Newcastle, Norwich, Nottingham, Oxford, Preston, Sheffield and Southampton.
The Government originally identified 21 areas for the first round of local TV licences – but there were no bidders to run services in Swansea or Plymouth.
YourTV local team includes former Lancashire Evening Post editorial director Simon Reynolds. It saw off competition in Preston from Metro8 – another nework bidder.
YourTV had proposed establishing a network of local TV stations but in the event its only other successful bid was for the Manchester licence. It is fronted nationally by former BBC Trust chairman Sir Michael Lyons.
Communications minister Ed Vaizey said today: “There has been huge interest in securing the rights to run local TV stations and bidders have produced innovative and exciting proposals.
“Newspapers and radio stations are cornerstones of local communities and local TV will help enhance the areas they serve. They will help hold local councils and services to account while creating new jobs and opportunities in these towns and cities.
“Awarding the final licence is a real step forward. Truly local TV services will soon become a reality for millions of people across the UK.”
The first stations hope to start broadcasting by the end of this year on Freeview channel 8 in England and Wales and channel 45 in Scotland.
Local TV is to receive £40m in funding from the BBC over the first three years – some £25m will go towards creating the broadcasting infrastructure with a further £5m a year to help subsidise programming.
The full list of the first UK local TV stations are:
- Belfast: NvTv
- Birmingham: City TV Broadcasting
- Brighton & Hove: Latest TV
- Bristol: Made in Bristol
- Cardiff: Made in Cardiff
- Edinburgh: ETV
- Glasgow: GTV
- Grimsby: Lincolnshire Living
- London: London Live
- Leeds: Made in Leeds
- Liverpool: Bay TV Liverpool
- Manchester: YourTV Manchester
- Newcastle: Made in Tyne and Wear
- Norwich: Mustard
- Nottingham: Notts TV
- Oxford: That’s Oxford
- Preston: YourTV Blackpool & Preston
- Sheffield: SLTV/Sheffield Live
- Southampton: That’s Solent
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