October 8, 2014

Ofcom accepts London Live bid to reduce local programming hours

Broadcast regulator Ofcom has given London Live permission to cut its local programming output.

Ofcom has previously rejected a bid from the Evegeny Lebedev-owned station to reduce London-based programming, but has now accepted a watered-down proposal.

Following the latest bid being accepted, London Live still has to broadcast eight hours of first-run local programming every day, and three hours during peak time (6-10.30pm).

But it is now required to broadcast six hours of local programming repeats per day, down from ten, and zero hours of local programme repeats, down from one and a half, during peak times.

The original request, submitted in July, asked for permission to reduce first-run local programming to one hour a day at peak time and to broadcast zero hours of repeat local programming a day (down from ten).

But this was rejected following opposition from stations which also applied for the local TV licence for London.