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Ofcom has awarded licences to run local TV services in Cambridge and Scarborough 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 are awarded to:

Cambridge:

Channel name: Cambridge Presents

Website: www.cambridgepresents.co.uk

Scarborough:

Channel name: Yorkshire Coast TV

Website: www.estuary.tv

Ofcom awarded a local TV multiplex licence to Comux UK Ltd 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.

In June 2013, Ofcom started the second phase of local TV licensing by inviting applications to run local TV services in seven local areas. In total, 10 applications were received.

Ofcom will consider applications for local TV licences in Bangor, Middlesbrough, Mold, Swansea and York in the coming months.

Ofcom has now awarded 21 local TV licences, as well as the multiplex licence. The first local TV channel intends to begin broadcasting in Grimsby on 26 November this year.

Statements setting out the main reasons for the award of these two local TV licences forCambridge and Scarborough have been published on the Ofcom website.

ENDS

NOTES FOR EDITORS

1. Ofcom estimates that the local TV licences could reach approximately 8,3000 homes in Cambridge and 3,1000 homes in Scarborough. The exact coverage at these locations will be confirmed with the local multiplex licensee.

2. Ofcom has provided technical assistance for local TV coverage planning and is overseeing the licensing of local TV services. This follows the Government’s policy statement in December 2011, and our public consultation that closed on 19 March 2012.

3. Digital UK, the organisation responsible for the management and allocation of channel numbers on DTT, has reserved channel numbers for new local TV channels. These will be carried at channel 8 (England and Northern Ireland) and channel 34 (Wales and Scotland).

4. Full contact details for the current applicants, along with details of their application are available here.

5. Ofcom is the independent regulator and competition authority for the UK communications industries, with responsibilities across television, radio, telecommunications, wireless communications and postal services.

6. For further details please visit www.ofcom.org.uk.

CONTACT

Rhys Hurd
Ofcom Communications
rhys.hurd@ofcom.org.uk
(+44) (0)300 123 4000