Ofcom reveals local TV licence bidders

UK regulator Ofcom has revealed the names of the organisations that have made a bid for one of 21 licences to run local TV channels.

The regulator received a total of 57 applications, including five to run a service in London. Amongst the bidders are London newspaper the Evening Standard under the London Live name and TV producer Phil Redmond’s OurTV for Liverpool. A company called Made Television that is chaired by Top Up TV founder Ian West has submitted bids for 11 licences, while STV, the Scottish arm of commercial broadcaster ITV, has bid for licences in Edinburgh and Glasgow.

Ofcom is overseeing channel launches in 21 cities, including Belfast, Birmingham, Brighton & Hove, Bristol, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Grimsby, Leeds, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Newcastle, Norwich, Nottingham, Oxford, Plymouth, Preston, Sheffield, Southampton and Swansea. As well as broadcasting on DTT, local TV channels operators will be able to offer their services on satellite, cable and online. Ofcom will announce the winners this autumn.

The regulator is also seeking a multiplex operator to cover all 21 areas, and to propose which areas will be additionally covered. It has received four bids, from Avanti Local TV Services, Comux UK, LMux and Local TV Multiplex.