Analogue terrestrial television in the United Kingdom is, traditionally, the method most people in the UK, Channel Islands and the Isle of Man used to receive television. Analogue terrestrial television is currently being phased out in the UK and will be completely replaced by digital terrestrial television in the United Kingdom by 2012. Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... As of 2005, analogue transmissions are still the most used method of receiving television in the United Kingdom. ... This article is about the British dependencies. ... Analog television encodes picture information by varying the voltages and/or frequency of the signal. ... Terrestrial television (also known as over-the-air, OTA or broadcast television) was the traditional method of television broadcast signal delivery prior to the advent of cable and satellite television. ... Digital terrestrial television in the United Kingdom is made up of over fifty primarily free-to-air television channels (including all six non-RSL analogue stations) and over twenty radio channels - primarily from the Freeview branded and Top Up TV services. ...

Channels available

The following channels, all of which are free-to-air, are available on a national basis: Free-to-air is a phrase used to describe television and radio broadcasts which are available without subscription and without decryption (pay-TV). ...

1. BBC One
2. BBC Two
3. ITV1 (made up of a number of regional franchises)
4. Channel 4 (S4C in Wales)
5. Five

While most of the UK population can receive all of the channels, not all services may be available in all areas; Five, in particular, does not have as greater coverage as the other channels, with only 70% coverage (compared to 99% for the other four channels). Furthermore, there are a number a smaller local channels available in particular areas, such as Channel M, which is available in Manchester. BBC One and BBC Two both have some regional programmes, such as the local news. ITV1 is made up of a number of regional operators, though most are now owned by ITV plc and virtually indistinguishable from each other as they all broadcast the nearly identical output and do not use their regional names onscreen any more. BBC One (styled BBC1 until 1997) is the most watched domestic channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... ITV1 is the name, in England, Wales and the Scottish borders, for a terrestrial, free-to-air television channel, broadcast in the United Kingdom by the ITV network. ... It has been suggested that Channel Four Television Corporation be merged into this article or section. ... S4C (Sianel Pedwar Cymru, which is Welsh for Channel Four Wales) is a television channel in Wales. ... Launched in 1997, five is the fifth and final national terrestrial analogue television channel to launch in the United Kingdom. ... Channel M is a television station which is based in Manchester. ... This article is becoming very long. ... ITV plc (LSE: ITV) is the British media company that operates 11 of the 15 regional television broadcasters that make up the ITV Network, the oldest and largest commercial terrestrial television network in the United Kingdom. ...

Additional services

All channels carry at least one teletext service. This includes subtitles for many programmes. A BBC Ceefax page from January 9, 2007. ... In printed material In printed material, a subtitle is an explanatory or alternate title. ...

Broadcasters

The terrestrial analogue services themselves are in most cases unique when compared to most non-analogue broadcast services (such as those available via digital satellite), in that they are much older, contain a much more diverse range of programming, rather than centring around a specific genre (all five major stations carry news bulletins, for example) and all hold some form of public service requirement in terms of their output. Public broadcasting is a form of public service broadcasting (PSB) intended to serve the diverse needs of the listening public. ...

BBC

The BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) began a regular television service, one of the first in the world, in 1936 as the BBC Television Service, funded to this day by a yearly mandatory licence fee. Since 1964, the BBC have provided two television services, BBC One and BBC Two. Both services carried a wide variety of content, as well as regional variations in programming, and sometimes continuity. Such variations have been scaled down in latter years on BBC Two, such that the only variants for Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, the areas where BBC1 historically provides the most variants, are catered for. For many years, BBC1 in Wales was effectively a separate service, BBC Wales, though many programmes were common to both it and BBC1 proper. The British Broadcasting Corporation, usually known as the BBC (and also informally known as the Beeb or Auntie) is the largest broadcasting corporation in the world in terms of audience numbers, employing 26,000 staff in the United Kingdom alone and with a budget of more than GB£4 billion... A television licence (or more correctly broadcast receiver licence, as it usually also pays for public radio) is an official licence required in many countries for all owners of television (and sometimes also radio) receivers. ... BBC One (styled BBC1 until 1997) is the most watched domestic channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... Regional variations is a common term used in British television listings publications to show the different programmes broadcast in different areas of the country. ... Continuity is a term used in broadcasting, especially in the United Kingdom, to refer to announcements, messages and graphics played by the broadcaster between specific programmes. ... BBC Wales (Welsh: ) is a division of the British Broadcasting Corporation for Wales. ...

ITV

Independent Television (Independent Television) was established in 1954 to provide a commercial alternative to the BBC. Programmes would be funded through the 'selling' of air-time for the playing of advertisements, and the broadcasters, the first of which began broadcasting in 1955, would be privately owned. Nonetheless, the television act which established what became popularly referred to as ITV, placed many restrictions on what these private companies could broadcast, types of programmes they were obliged to broadcast, how many hours a day or week they could broadcast for, how much advertising time could be sold, and even who could own the operating companies. An Independent Television Authority, (superseded by the Independent Broadcasting Authority) would choose the companies licensed to broadcast on a periodic basis, and administer the various obligations and restrictions described above. Each company would be (and nominally still is) afforded a 'franchise' to broadcast to a specific coverage area of the UK, with larger areas having originally had two broadcasters, one for the week and one for the weekend, though this practise ended outside of London in 1968. It has been suggested that Channel 3 (UK) be merged into this article or section. ... Generally speaking, advertising is the paid promotion of goods, services, companies and ideas by an identified sponsor. ... It has been suggested that Channel 3 (UK) be merged into this article or section. ... ITA can refer to: The International Olympic Committees abbreviation for Italy In the United Kingdom, the Independent Television Authority was the regulator for commercial television for some years. ... IBA or Iba may mean: Important Bird Area or IBA Independent Broadcasting Authority Indole-3-butyric acid - auxin, a plant Rooting hormone InfiniBand Architecture Institute of Business Administration Interceptor Body Armor International Bank of Asia International Bodyboarding Association International Boxing Association International Bryozoology Association International Business Alliance Ion beam analysis...

Because the ITA were only given one frequency to license in any one given area, most viewers would only receive one service (unless they happened to receive signals from two transmitters in different areas), though each regional broadcaster would often broadcast unique programmes, continuity and adverts, a practise performed far less today but that is nonetheless still apparent, and required. Originally each company would broadcast with their own, unique station name, such as "Yorkshire Television" or "Associated Rediffusion", and it wasn't until the late 1980s that popular use of the name "ITV" was used on screen. ITV Broadcasters would sell major programmes to one another, for 'network' play-out nation-wide, or to the majority of the nation, and for most of its history, ITV would have a shared, single schedule for much of its air-time. Yorkshire Television is the ITV contractor for Yorkshire, England, and the surrounding areas. ... Associated-Rediffusion, later Rediffusion London, was the British Independent Television (commercial television) contractor for London, on weekdays between 1954 (transmissions started on September 22, 1955) and July 29, 1968. ...

Subsequent relaxations on the requirements and restrictions placed upon the ITV companies now mean that one company, ITV plc own and operate the majority of the franchises, and broadcasts under the name ITV1. A company, SMG, own two franchises in Scotland, and broadcasts as STV, whilst UTV broadcast to Northern Ireland under that name and Channel Television broadcast to the Channel Islands, as ITV1. GMTV own the franchise to broadcast a national breakfast service, under that name. Ofcom now regulate ITV, and its formal name is now Channel 3, though this name is only used legally, and not on-screen. ITV plc (LSE: ITV) is the British media company that operates 11 of the 15 regional television broadcasters that make up the ITV Network, the oldest and largest commercial terrestrial television network in the United Kingdom. ... ITV1 is the name, in England, Wales and the Scottish borders, for a terrestrial, free-to-air television channel, broadcast in the United Kingdom by the ITV network. ... The acronym SMG may refer to An acronym for submachine gun A rap group featuring Ice T and others The actress Sarah Michelle Gellar BMWs name for its version of an electrohydraulic manual transmission Scottish media company SMG plc SMG, a property management company Shanghai Media Groups abbreviation. ... The correct title of this article is . ... UTV (Ulster Television) is the ITV franchise for Northern Ireland. ... The current Channel TV ident Channel Television (CTV) is a British television station which has served as an Independent Television (ITV), contractor to the Channel Islands since 1962. ... This article is about the British dependencies. ... GMTV (Good Morning Television) is a national British breakfast television station owned by ITV plc (75%) and The Walt Disney Company (25%). It has held the license for the breakfast Channel 3 franchise since 1993, when it outbid the previous 6am-9. ... Ofcom is a regulator for communication industries in the United Kingdom. ... Independent Television (ITV) is the name given to the original network of British commercial television broadcasters, set up to provide competition to the BBC. The original ITV channel has now been rebranded as ITV1 by ITV plc (the operator of the Channel 3 franchises in England and Wales). ...

For many years, the ITA, IBA and the ITV companies campaigned for further frequencies on which to broadcast, though these goals were never wholly realised on analogue.

Channel 4 and S4C

After many decades of demand by the commercial broadcasters for a second commercial station, or network of stations, Channel 4 and S4C were launched in 1982. Channel 4 was originally run as a uniform national service, by the IBA itself, through a subsidiary called the Channel Four Broadcasting Company. Channel 4 would not make the programmes it broadcast, and all content was, and still is, commissioned from independent, private production companies, such as the ITV companies, but also companies not related to ITV who had previously little space to broadcast in the UK. Channel 4 would be funded by allowing each local ITV franchisee to sell adverts during the station's airtime in their area, in exchange for a guaranteed income to be paid to the IBA. The station was established with the intention to provide programmes for minority groups and cater for specialist interests, and has a remit that details these obligations. It has been suggested that Channel Four Television Corporation be merged into this article or section. ... S4C (Sianel Pedwar Cymru, which is Welsh for Channel Four Wales) is a television channel in Wales. ...

Since the abolition of the IBA, taking effect in 1993, Channel 4 has been run by the publicly owned, Channel Four Broadcasting Corporation, and manages its own advertising.

S4C was created at the same time, after many demands for a dedicated Welsh-language service for Wales. Previously ITV and the BBC were obliged to air Welsh language programmes, though these were often shown at inconvenient times of the day, and upset English speakers by taking English programming off the schedules. The new S4C would broadcast only in Wales, in place of Channel 4. S4C is operated by the Welsh Fourth Channel Authority, independent of the IBA or latterly Ofcom, and is funded through advertising and direct government funding. Furthermore, the BBC airs its Welsh language programmes on the service, which are funded by the licence fee. As Channel 4 is not broadcast to Wales, with S4C in its place, some Channel 4 programmes are aired during off-peak times on S4C. (On digital platforms both services are available in Wales, and as such S4C's digital variant does not follow this practise). The Welsh Fourth Language Channel Authority controls S4C, Sianel Pedwar Cymru, Channel 4 Wales. ...

Five

A fifth service was licensed during the 1990s and began broadcasts in 1997, originally called by its legal name, Channel 5, it has since been rebranded as Five (channel). Launched in 1997, five is the fifth and final national terrestrial analogue television channel to launch in the United Kingdom. ...

The Channel 5 licence has one single licensee and provides a nation-wide service. Compared to the other analogue broadcasters, it has relatively few public-service obligations, provision of news programming being one exception. Limited space within the analogue television bands, means Channel 5 has substantially reduced coverage compared to the other networks, at around 70% coverage.

Restricted service licences

In addition to the five national networks, a limited number of local stations are broadcast to various towns and cities under what is known as a Restricted Service Licence. These occupy channels unused by the other broadcasters that can be used without causing interference in other regions, and are frequently broadcast at a lower power than the major channels. Their output is mainly local, and each contract for an RSL lasted four years until 2004 when media regulator OfCom stated that each licence will be renewed up until digital switchover. A UK Restricted Service Licence (often called an RSL), is typically granted to radio stations and television stations broadcasting within the UK to serve a local community or a special event. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Digital switchover is the name given to the process in which analogue broadcast television in an area is converted to digital television. ...

• c9tv - Coleraine, Derry, Limavady and Strabane
• Capital TV - Cardiff
• Channel M - Manchester
• MATV - Leicester
• NvTv - Belfast
• Six TV - Oxford, Portsmouth, Fawley, Southampton and Reading
• Solent TV - Isle of Wight
• York@54 - York

Some licences are not currently in use: This page meets Wikipedias criteria for speedy deletion. ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 55. ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 54. ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 55. ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 54. ... Cardiff (English:  Welsh: ) is the capital, largest and core city of Wales. ... Channel M is a television station which is based in Manchester. ... This article is becoming very long. ... MATV is a specialist Asian content TV channel based in Leicester, England featuring Indian programming in Gujarati and Hindi as well as local based shows. ... Leicester city centre, looking towards the Clock Tower Leicester (pronounced ) is the largest city and unitary authority in the English East Midlands region of the UK. The city is the traditional county town of Leicestershire. ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 54. ... Six TV is a free-to-air television channel broadcast from Oxford and Southampton in the UK. It is broadcast on UHF channel 47 (679. ... This article does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... For other places with the same name, see Portsmouth (disambiguation). ... Fawley is a place name that is used more than once in the United Kingdom. ... Southampton is a city, unitary authority and major port situated on the south coast of England. ... Reading is a town, unitary authority (the Borough of Reading) and urban area in the English county of Berkshire. ... Solent TV is an indepedent not-for-profit television channel broadcast on the Isle of Wight. ... The Isle of Wight is an English island and county, off the southern English coast, to the south of the county of Hampshire. ... York is a city in North Yorkshire, England, at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss. ...

• Lanarkshire TV - Lanarkshire
• Teeside TV. - Teeside
• Carlisle TV - Carlisle
• TV Norwich - Norwich

Lanarkshire (Siorrachd Lannraig in Gaelic) is a traditional county of Scotland. ... Teesside is the name given to the conurbation in northern England based on Middlesbrough and Stockton, along the banks of the River Tees. ... Carlisle is a city in the far north-west of England, and is the largest urban area in Cumbria. ... Norwich (IPA: //) is a city in East Anglia, in Eastern England. ...

Broadcasting technology

405 lined system

Television broadcasting began on an experimental basis by the BBC in London in 1936 on VHF Band I. Initially the service was operated using two competing systems: The British Broadcasting Corporation, usually known as the BBC (and also informally known as the Beeb or Auntie) is the largest broadcasting corporation in the world in terms of audience numbers, employing 26,000 staff in the United Kingdom alone and with a budget of more than GB£4 billion... 1936 (MCMXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Very high frequency (VHF) is the radio frequency range from 30 MHz to 300 MHz. ... Band I is the name of a radio frequency range within the very high frequency part of the electromagnetic spectrum. ...

The earliest television broadcasts used the 240-line Baird system and the 405-line Marconi-EMI system on alternate weeks. However, the Baird system proved too cumbersome and by early 1937 had been dropped and the Marconi-EMI system became the standard. This system was later codified by the ITU's CCIR on an international conference in Stockholm in 1961 as System A. The 405-line monochrome analogue television broadcasting system was the first electronic television system to be used in regular broadcasting. ... This article is about the location. ...   (IPA: ; UN/LOCODE: SE STO) is the capital of Sweden, and consequently the site of its Government and Parliament as well as the residence of the Swedish head of state, King Carl XVI Gustaf. ... 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1961 calendar). ... There are several broadcast television systems in use in the world today. ...

Different broadcast stations across the country broadcast on different channels to avoid interference and allow for regional variations. Regional variations is a common term used in British television listings publications to show the different programmes broadcast in different areas of the country. ...

Broadcast was suspended during the Second World War but resumed in 1946. The BBC was joined on this system in 1955 with the launch of commercial television in the form of the regional Independent Television (ITV) network, managed by the Independent Television Authority (ITA), which also saw the use of VHF Band III. 1946 (MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... It has been suggested that Channel 3 (UK) be merged into this article or section. ... The Independent Television Authority (ITA) was a body created by the Television Act 1954 to supervise the creation of Independent Television (ITV), the first commercial television network in the United Kingdom. ... Band III is the name of a radio frequency range within the very high frequency part of the electromagnetic spectrum. ...

This was the sole system in existence until the preparations for the introduction of 625-line transmission in 1964 and was put out of use in 1985.

625 lined system

1964 saw the launch of a third television service, known as BBC2, and with it the introduction of the analogue system of broadcast still used to this day - the 625 lined service on UHF Bands IV and V. Whilst the extra lines theoretically offered better resolution and picture clarity, the fledgling network of new transmitters required to provide the service offered far inferior coverage compared with the existing VHF services and was prone to increased interference often resulting in poor picture quality. Furthermore, few people had the new sets required to receive the new service or the different type of aerial required to pick up the UHF signal. This article is about the radio frequency. ...

Colour

During the late 1950s, when the decision to introduce colour television was first seriously mooted, the then two main systems for consideration were the French SECAM and American NTSC systems, the latter generally considered superior and expected to be adopted. Throughout the 1960s a third competing system, PAL, became available and was eventually adopted by the GPO for use on the 625 lined service, to be known as System I or PAL-I. SECAM, also written SÉCAM (Séquentiel couleur à mémoire, French for sequential color with memory), is an analog color television system first used in France. ... The references in this article would be clearer with a different and/or consistent style of citation, footnoting or external linking. ... Television encoding systems by nation PAL, short for Phase Alternating Line, is a colour encoding system used in broadcast television systems in large parts of the world. ... The British General Post Office (GPO) was officially established in 1660 by Charles II and it eventually grew to combine the functions of both the state postal system and telecommunications carrier. ... There are several broadcast television systems in use in the world today. ...

Broadcast on this system officially commenced in 1967 with BBC2's (and the UK's) launch of colour television programming, though previous years had seen many unofficial colour test films outside of official broadcasting hours, including some which trialled NTSC and SECAM. BBC2 was joined in 1969 by BBC 1 and the main ITV franchises (the rest following in stages into the 1970s). Both BBC1 and ITV continued to broadcast simultaneously on the VHF system A until 1985. 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar (the link is to a full 1967 calendar). ... BBC One (styled BBC1 until 1997) is the most watched domestic channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation. ... It has been suggested that Channel 3 (UK) be merged into this article or section. ... 1985 (MCMLXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Channel allocations

The 625 lined system divided the spectrum into 44 channels, 21-34 and 39-68 (Bands IV and V). These channels were allocated, by the GPO, to the broadcasters to allow for four networks to operate with eventual maximum coverage and minimum cross-network interference. The two BBC channels and the ITV network were catered for, as well as space for a future fourth network, at the time expected to be a second network for the ITA. The fourth network didn't come into being until the 1980 Broadcasting Act created Channel 4 and S4C. This early provision meant that near complete coverage was afforded to both networks at launch, in 1982. ITA can refer to: The International Olympic Committees abbreviation for Italy In the United Kingdom, the Independent Television Authority was the regulator for commercial television for some years. ... The Broadcasting Act 1980 (1980 c. ...

When Channel 5 launched in 1997 a general lack of provision for the network lead to the release of extra UHF channels which caused potential interference with many domestic VCRs. This required a massive equipment retuning exercise to be undertaken at the broadcaster's expense. The extra channels still did not go far enough in affording Channel 5 the level of coverage enjoyed by the other broadcasters. Five (often referred as five, as per the logo), formerly, and more commonly known as Channel 5, is the British fifth and final national analogue terrestrial TV channel. ... The video cassette recorder (or VCR, less popularly video tape recorder) is a type of video tape recorder that uses removable cassettes containing magnetic tape to record audio and video from a television broadcast so it can be played back later. ...

Digital switch-over

The government is committed to switching terrestrial television broadcasting to fully digital by 2012. The digital network will feature six multiplexes at each of the 80 main nodes, at other nodes there will be only three multiplexes because fewer broadcasters are interested in the less densely populated regions. A company called Digital UK (formerly "switchco") has been set up to handle the change. The switch will be on a region by region basis using the ITV regions as a basis. The schedule was announced by Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Tessa Jowell on September 15, 2005 at the Royal Television Society Cambridge Convention. 2012 (MMXII) will be a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Digital UK is the organisation that oversees the digital switchover of television in the United Kingdom. ... The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport is a UK cabinet position with responsibility for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. ... Rt. ... September 15 is the 258th day of the year (259th in leap years). ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Royal Television Society is a British-based society for the discussion, analysis and preservation of television in all its forms, past, present and future. ...

No date was announced for the fifteenth ITV region, Channel Television, as this broadcasts from the Channel Islands, outside the jurisdiction of the UK Government. Under the original proposals it would convert last, after UTV. Border Television (now legally known as ITV Border Ltd) is the ITV franchisee for the border region between England and Scotland (including the south of Scotland, much of Cumbria and, until December 2006, the town of Berwick-upon-Tweed), and also the Crown Dependency of the Isle of Man. ... 2008 (MMVIII) will be a leap year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... 2009 (MMIX) will be a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... HTV Group plc is a television company, the ITV contractor of Wales and the West of England, owned by ITV plc. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... HTV Group plc is a television company, the ITV contractor of Wales and the West of England, owned by ITV plc. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Grampian Television is the ITV franchisee for the North of Scotland, based in Aberdeen. ... Scottish Television (stv central), now known as stv on air, is Scotlands largest independent television franchisee, and has held the ITV franchise for Central Scotland since 31 August 1957. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... 2011 (MMXI) will be a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Yorkshire Television is the ITV contractor for Yorkshire, England, and the surrounding areas. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Meridian is the ITV station for the South and South East of England. ... Carlton is the name of many places: Carlton, Bedfordshire is a small village in the county of Bedfordshire in the United Kingdom. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... 2012 (MMXII) will be a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Tyne Tees Television is the ITV television contractor for North East England. ... For other uses of the UTV acronym see UTV (disambiguation) Ulster Television plc (UTV) is a media company based in Northern Ireland. ... The current Channel TV ident Channel Television (CTV) is a British television station which has served as an Independent Television (ITV), contractor to the Channel Islands since 1962. ...

Some concern has been raised that the London region will be switched shortly before the city hosts the Olympic Games. Jowell said "I can assure you that I did not slog for two years to bring the games here just to see Londoners reduced to huddling round the wireless to find out who won the hundred metres, I am completely confident that our timetable is a sensible one which will ensure that digital services are delivered with no disruption to the viewing public during the Games themselves." The 2012 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXX Olympiad, will be held in London, United Kingdom from 27 July to 12 August 2012. ...

It was also announced that a support scheme will be put in place to ensure that no one is left behind in the switch. It will provide help with equipment and installation and follow-up support for people aged 75 years and over and people with significant disabilities. The scheme will be funded by the BBC through the licence fee. Help will be free for the most needy, with a small change levied for others.