Ofcom hands York and Middlesbrough TV licences
November 27, 2013
Ofcom has awarded licences to run local TV services in York and Middlesbrough on digital terrestrial TV (DTT).
The awards follow legislation enabling Ofcom to issue local TV licences. The channels will be broadcast on DTT by the local multiplex, a discrete amount of spectrum reserved for local TV broadcasting on DTT.
The licences have been awarded to The York Channel (York) and Made in Teesside (Middlesbrough).
Ofcom awarded a local TV multiplex licence to Comux earlier this year. The local multiplex licence is for a period of 12 years and all local services will run until the same date. As well as broadcasting on DTT, it is anticipated that local TV channels might also wish to offer their services on satellite, cable and online.
Ofcom will consider applications for local TV licences in Bangor, Mold and Swansea in the coming months. Ofcom has now awarded 23 local TV licences, as well as the multiplex licence. The first local TV channel began broadcasting in Grimsby on 26 November this year.