London Live (TV channel)

Last updated

London Live
London Live.svg
CountryUnited Kingdom
Broadcast areaLondon (region)
HeadquartersNorthcliffe House, Kensington, London
Programming
Language(s)English
Ownership
Owner ESTV (Lebedev Holdings Limited)
Key peopleAndy Mullins, CEO
History
Launched31 March 2014
Links
Website www.londonlive.co.uk
Availability
Terrestrial
Freeview Channel 8
Streaming media
London Live www.londonlive.co.uk/tv/

London Live is a local television channel in London, England, [1] which airs local news, current affairs, sports, arts, events, and entertainment. The channel launched in 2014 to serve the London area under the legislation for local television, and broadcasts on Freeview and Sky. The owner of London Live is Russian oligarch Evgeny Lebedev, who is also the chairman and owner of both Evening Standard Ltd (publisher of the Evening Standard newspaper, which he bought in January 2009) and Independent Print Ltd (publisher of The Independent , which he bought in March 2010). [2]

Contents

History

The London licence was awarded to ESTV Limited by Ofcom, the UK's media regulator, in 2013 after bids were invited for a number of areas in 2012. [3] ESTV is owned by Lebedev Holdings, whose majority shareholder is Evgeny Lebedev [4] and whose other subsidiaries include Evening Standard Limited. London Live launched at 18:30 on 31 March 2014. [1]

The channel broadcasts on Freeview using the CoMux-operated London local DTT multiplex (mux), transmitted on UHF channel 29 from the Crystal Palace transmitting station, and is also available via Sky satellite and cable TV to viewers with London postcodes. On 21 March 2018, the London DTT mux was moved to UHF channel 35 as part of 700 MHz clearance plans. Crystal Palace also operates on a single frequency network with Croydon, which improves reception in South and East London. London Live also now occupies the unadvertised local mux available on UHF channel 34 from the Hemel Hempstead relay as of 27 March 2019, which has extended coverage outside the M25 to the Hemel Hempstead and St. Albans areas.

London Live broadcasts from studios at Northcliffe House in Kensington, which is also the headquarters of The Independent and Evening Standard newspapers, both owned by Lebedev Holdings.

Before its launch, the channel was expected to spend between £15m and £18m before breaking even in about three years; revenue was predicted to reach £25m by then. [5] For the year to September 2021, ESTV Limited reported an operating profit of £4.1 million on turnover of £7.4 million. [4]

Programmes

Original programmes

A London Live reporter interviewing Matthew Barzun during the parade at Pride in London 2016 Pride in London 2016 - Matthew Barzun interviewed by London Live during the parade 2.png
A London Live reporter interviewing Matthew Barzun during the parade at Pride in London 2016

London Live has commissioned a varied portfolio of programmes, including Drag Queens of London , Good Morning Breakfast, CTRL Freaks, Can You Cook It, Food Junkies, Fresh Fantasy, Jeff Leach +1, Place Invaders, F2 Kicks Off and Nihal's City Swagger. It has also commissioned documentaries including Girl on Girl, Jail Birds, Half Man Standing, Teenage Kicks, Sizzle London, The Young Upstarts, Digital Nation, Roger & Robin's Night Club Tips, Ron & Ron, Fight Club London, No Place Like Home, Antisocial Network, and Beggar Off. [6]

In September 2013 the channel announced its first acquired series: a family sitcom, All About the McKenzies. The show, previously only available via YouTube, is written and produced by Samuell Benta.[ citation needed ]

In November 2013, London Live announced its first prime-time commission: [7] F2 Kicks Off from UK indie Renowned Films, [8] hosted by the F2Freestylers duo Billy Wingrove and Jeremy Lynch. [9]

In January 2014 the channel announced acquired the web show Brothers With No Game . [10] In March 2014, Drag Queens of London was announced. [11]

Other programmes

London Live also broadcasts a range of comedy, drama, documentaries and entertainment programmes such as London Real , Absolute Power, Green Wing , Peep Show, Smack the Pony , Spaced , Trigger Happy TV , Twenty Twelve , Filthy Rich and Homeless, Soho Blues, The Tube, Snog Marry Avoid? , Vice Squad, Hale and Pace , Born Equal, Freefall, Harley Street, London's Burning, Misfits , Moses Jones, The Shadow Line, White Teeth, 10 Years Younger, and Cash in the Attic . By 2021, the channel was showing a range of classic shows (similar to programmes already repeated on Talking Pictures TV, ITV4 or Forces TV) alongside films and local programmes with titles including Sapphire and Steel, Danger Man, [12] The Sandbaggers, [12] and Goodnight Sweetheart [12] in the schedules.

In July 2017, it was announced the channel would have an early morning line-up of children's programming from the libraries of Saban Brands and Studio 100 (such as Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (1993–96, 2010 “Disney era” version) and Digimon. After the contract expired, the channel began airing programming from 41 Entertainment, mainly content from the BKN International library. As of 2023, the channel does not broadcast any children's programmes.

Former on-air team

David Icke interview

In April 2020, the UK’s culture secretary Oliver Dowden called on the media regulator Ofcom to take action against London Live after it broadcast a 105-minute interview with the conspiracy theorist David Icke which contained allegations about the source of the COVID-19 pandemic. The interview was an edited version of an interview Icke recorded with the YouTube channel London Real in March. YouTube deleted a later London Live interview with Icke and said it would wipe any other videos that falsely linked COVID-19 to 5G mobile networks. [13] [14]

Ofcom later confirmed that the 80-minute interview broke broadcasting rules, stating that Icke “expressed views which had the potential to cause significant harm to viewers in London during the pandemic” and his “claims went largely unchallenged” being “made without the support of any scientific or other evidence”. [15]

Awards and nominations

YearAssociationCategoryNominee(s)Result
2017Diversity in Media AwardsBroadcaster of the YearLondon LiveNominated

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Freeview (UK)</span> British digital terrestrial television platform

Freeview is the United Kingdom's sole digital terrestrial television platform. It is operated by Everyone TV and DTV Services Ltd, a joint venture between the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5 and Sky. It was launched on 30 October 2002, taking over the licence from ITV Digital which collapsed that year. The service provides consumer access via an aerial to the seven DTT multiplexes covering the United Kingdom. As of July 2020, it has 85 TV channels, 26 digital radio channels, 10 HD channels, six text services, 11 streamed channels, and one interactive channel.

Television broadcasts in the United Kingdom began in 1932, however, regular broadcasts would only begin four years later. Television began as a public service which was free of advertising, which followed the first demonstration of a transmitted moving image in 1926. Currently, the United Kingdom has a collection of free-to-air, free-to-view and subscription services over a variety of distribution media, through which there are over 480 channels for consumers as well as on-demand content. There are six main channel owners who are responsible for most material viewed.

Digital terrestrial television is a technology for terrestrial television where television stations broadcast television content in a digital format. DTTV is a major technological advance over analog television, and has largely replaced analog television broadcast, which had been in common use since the middle of the 20th century. Test broadcasts began in 1998 with the changeover to DTTV, also known as the Analog Switchoff (ASO) or Digital Switchover (DSO), which began in 2006 and is now complete in many countries. The advantages of digital terrestrial television are similar to those obtained by digitizing platforms such as cable TV, satellite, and telecommunications: more efficient use of radio spectrum bandwidth, provision of more television channels than analog, better quality images, and potentially lower operating costs for broadcasters.

The Sutton Coldfield transmitting station is a broadcasting and telecommunications facility located in Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham, England. In terms of population covered, it is the third most important transmitter in the UK, after Crystal Palace in London and Winter Hill near Bolton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Channel M</span> Television station based in Manchester, England

Channel M was a regional television station in England which broadcast to the Greater Manchester area between 2000 and 2012. The station, originally Manchester Student Television, was owned and operated by the GMG Regional Media division of Guardian Media Group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Television X</span> British pornographic television channel

Television X (TVX) is a series of adult pay-per-view television channels in the United Kingdom owned by Aylo Global Entertainment (Europe) Limited. Until 2020, it was owned by Portland TV which was a subsidiary of Richard Desmond's publishing company Northern & Shell until 2016. All of the programmes on the main Television X channel are filmed and produced in the United Kingdom.

Digital terrestrial television in the United Kingdom encompasses over 100 television, radio and interactive services broadcast via the United Kingdom's terrestrial television network and receivable with a standard television set. The majority of digital terrestrial television (DTT) services, including the five former analogue channels, are broadcast free-to-air, and a further selection of encrypted pay TV services are also available.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canale 5</span> Italian television channel

Canale 5 is an Italian free-to-air television channel of Mediaset, owned by MFE - MediaForEurope. It was the first private television network to have national coverage in Italy in 1980. On 4 December 2012, Mediaset launched Canale 5 HD, a simulcast of Canale 5 in high-definition. The channel is aimed at a primarily adult audience, offering, mainly, entertainment, movies and TV series. Since January 2013, Canale 5 has been directed by Giancarlo Scheri.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chelsea TV</span> Television channel

Chelsea TV was a British subscription based sports television channel, dedicated to the fans of the English Premier League football club, Chelsea. The channel first launched in August 2001 on Sky Digital. The station was registered with Ofcom as Chelsea Digital Media Ltd. It was broadcast daily from 10:00am to midnight. Until it was removed in early 2010, it used to be broadcast in Channel 427 on UPC Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kay Burley</span> English journalist (born 1960)

Kay Elizabeth Burley is an English broadcaster. She is a presenter on Sky News and hosts Kay Burley, the breakfast slot on the channel. She has also worked for BBC Local Radio, Tyne Tees Television, and TV-am.

DVB-T2 is an abbreviation for "Digital Video Broadcasting – Second Generation Terrestrial"; it is the extension of the television standard DVB-T, issued by the consortium DVB, devised for the broadcast transmission of digital terrestrial television. DVB has been standardized by ETSI.

Digital terrestrial television was launched in Sweden in 1999. The shutdown of the analogue equivalent started on September 19, 2005, and was finalized on October 15, 2007.

Anthony S. Baxter British television presenter

Anthony Stuart Baxter is a British journalist and broadcaster from Rochdale.

<i>Lookaround</i> British regional television news programme

ITV News Lookaround is a British television news service produced by ITV Tyne Tees & Border and broadcasting to the ITV Border region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RTL9</span> Television station

RTL9 is a French-language Luxembourgish television channel shown in Luxembourg, France, Monaco, Africa and the French-speaking regions of Switzerland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Evgeny Lebedev</span> Russian-British businessman (born 1980)

Evgeny Alexandrovich Lebedev, Baron Lebedev, is a Russian-British businessman, who owns Lebedev Holdings Ltd, which in turn owns the Evening Standard and ESTV. He is also an investor in The Independent.

Local television in the United Kingdom, described in legislation as Local Digital Television Programme Services (L-DTPS), provides a television station for a specific local area. Successful applicants are awarded a sole licence for their chosen area, and are expected to locate their studios within the same area. They broadcast on the digital terrestrial (DTT) system, as used by the national Freeview service.

<i>Good Morning Britain</i> (2014 TV programme) Breakfast television

Good Morning Britain is a British breakfast television programme that is broadcast on ITV. It first appeared on 28 April 2014 and is broadcast live every weekday from 6:00 am to 9:00 am across the United Kingdom. The programme features a variety of news, interviews, politics, sport, entertainment, competitions and weather as well as local news bulletins delivered by the ITV regions. The programme is currently presented by Susanna Reid, Kate Garraway, Richard Madeley, Ed Balls and Adil Ray.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mustard TV</span> Local television station based in Norwich, England

Mustard TV was a local television station based in Norwich, Norfolk. It broadcast to over 400,000 people, covering Norwich and much of Norfolk reaching Cromer in the north of the county, Dereham to the west and parts of south Norfolk and north Suffolk. It was a wholly owned subsidiary of regional media group Archant and was one of 19 initial local TV stations awarded licences by UK broadcasting regulator Ofcom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GB News</span> British television news channel

GB News is a British free-to-air, opinion-orientated news television and radio channel. The channel is available on Freeview, Freesat, Sky, YouView, Virgin Media and via the internet on Samsung TV Plus and YouTube. An audio simulcast of the station is also available on DAB+ radio.

References

  1. 1 2 Sweney, Mark (13 January 2014). "London Live to launch on 31 March". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 January 2014.
  2. ↑ Sweney, Mark (28 April 2019). "Evgeny Lebedev in talks to sell London Live TV station". The Guardian.
  3. ↑ Deans, Jason (10 May 2012). "Ofcom invites bids to run local TV services in 21 towns and cities". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 9 July 2023.
  4. 1 2 "ESTV Limited: Annual Report and Financial Statements". Companies House. 30 September 2021. Retrieved 9 July 2023.
  5. ↑ Greenslade, Roy (23 March 2014). "London Live: Can it change the capital's television viewing habits?". The Guardian.
  6. ↑ "Stefano Hatfield: Original ideas will make great viewing". Evening Standard. 27 November 2013. Retrieved 8 March 2017.
  7. ↑ "Televisual - NEWS & COMMENTS".
  8. ↑ "Renowned Films – Creative London Production Company".
  9. ↑ "London Live Unveils First Commissions; Two Factual Entertainment Series, Game Show & 'Comedy Hotspot' Season - TVWise". 28 November 2013.
  10. ↑ "Brothers With No Game".
  11. ↑ "Drag Queens of London coming this Spring". attitude.co.uk. Archived from the original on 9 March 2014. Retrieved 7 March 2014.
  12. 1 2 3 "TV Schedule". London Live.
  13. ↑ "Coronavirus: Ofcom 'assesses' David Icke TV interview". BBC News. 9 April 2020. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
  14. ↑ "UK's London Live Faces Sanctions After Airing Long Interview With Coronavirus Denier David Icke". Deadline. 9 April 2020. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
  15. ↑ Tobitt, Charlotte (20 April 2020). "Ofcom sanctions London Live over 'potentially harmful' David Icke interview on coronavirus". Press Gazette. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.