Television in the United Kingdom

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"United Kingdom television" redirects here. For the digital cable and satellite television network, see UKTV.

Public television broadcasting started in the United Kingdom in 1936, and now has a collection of free and subscription services over a variety of distribution media, through which there are over 480 channels[nb 1] for consumers as well as on-demand content. There are six main channel owners who are responsible for most viewing. There are 27,000 hours of domestic content produced a year at a cost of £2.6 billion.[citation needed][nb 2] Analogue terrestrial transmissions are currently being switched off and this is due to be completed in 2012.Contents [hide]

1 Television providers

1.1 Main providers

1.2 Local and other providers

1.3 Analogue terrestrial television

1.3.1 VHF 405 Line Monochrome

1.3.2 UHF 625 Line Colour Service

1.3.3 NICAM-728

1.4 Digital terrestrial television

1.5 Cable television

1.6 Satellite television

1.7 IP television (IPTV)

1.8 Mobile television

1.9 Internet television

1.9.1 Catch-up services

1.9.2 Other services

1.10 Forthcoming providers

2 Channels and channel owners

2.1 Viewing statistics

2.1.1 Most viewed channels

2.1.2 Availability of channels from various providers

2.2 British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

2.3 Independent Television (ITV)

2.4 Channel 4

2.5 Channel 5

2.6 Local television in the United Kingdom

2.7 British Sky Broadcasting (BSkyB)

2.8 UKTV

2.9 Other channel owners

3 Programming

3.1 100 Greatest British Television Programmes

3.2 100 Greatest TV Moments

3.3 List of most watched television broadcasts

3.4 Top 20 Most Controversial TV Moments

3.5 Genre lists

3.5.1 100 Greatest Kids' TV shows

3.5.2 Britain's Best Sitcom

3.5.3 British Academy Television Award for Best Drama Series

3.6 Analogue terrestrial programming

3.6.1 Weekday

3.6.2 Weekend

4 Cultural impact

4.1 Moral decline of the country

5 Awards

6 Regulation

7 Licensing

8 Recent technical developments

8.1 Digital television

8.2 Video on demand

8.3 High-definition television

8.4 3D television

9 Production

9.1 In-house production

9.2 Independent production

10 History

10.1 Timeline

10.2 Closed and aborted television providers

10.3 Defunct channels

10.4 Commentary

10.4.1 The rise of television in the UK

10.4.2 History of satellite television

11 See also

11.1 Industry bodies

11.2 Genres and programming

11.3 Miscellaneous

12 External links

13 Notes

14 References

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Television providers

Free and subscription providers are available, with differences in the number of channels, capabilities such as the programme guide (EPG), video on demand (VOD), high-definition (HD), interactive television via the red button, and coverage across the UK. Set-top boxes are generally used to receive these services; however Integrated Digital Televisions (IDTVs) can also be used to receive Freeview or Freesat. Top Up TV and BT Vision utilise hybrid boxes which receive Freeview as well as additional subscription services. Households viewing TV from the internet (YouTube, Joost, downloads etc.) are not tracked by Ofcom. The UK's five most watched channels, BBC One, BBC Two, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5, are available from all providers.

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Main providersProvider Years Free or pay No. broadcast channels Households Transmission Video on demand HD Red button

(Unbranded analogue terrestrial) 1964–2012 Free Up to 5 2,600,000[1]

February 2009 Analogue terrestrial No No No

BT Vision 2006– Pay 3

On-demand content via Vision On-Demand 433,000[2]

October 2009 IPTV and digital terrestrial Yes No Yes

Freesat 2007– Free 115 (TV)

38 (radio)[nb 3] 1,700,000

May 2011 Digital satellite Yes Yes Yes

Freesat from Sky 1998– Free + PPV 240+ (TV)

80+ (radio)[3] 597,000[1][nb 4]

Q4 2008 Digital satellite No Yes Yes

Freeview 2002– Free 50+ (TV)

24 (radio) 9,700,000[1]

Q4 2005 Digital terrestrial No Yes[nb 5] Yes

Sky TV 1998– Pay 400+ (TV)

On-demand content via Sky Anytime

160+ (radio) 8,900,000[1]

August 2006 Digital satellite Yes Yes Yes

Top Up TV 2004– Pay 10

On-demand content via TV Favourites 490,000[4]

Q3 2009 Digital terrestrial Yes No Yes

Virgin TV 2006– Pay 250+ (TV)[5]

On-demand content via Virgin Central

35+ (radio) 3,672,000[1][nb 6]

Q2 2009 Digital cable Yes Yes Yes

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Local and other providers

The following are providers for local areas, or these that transmits TV via mobiles or the Internet.Provider Years Free or pay No. broadcast channels VOD HD Red button Households Transmission

Freewire Unknown Free and subscription 25 free,[6] 19 subscription[7] No No No 40,000[8] IPTV via JANET

The Internet Unknown Varies Unknown Yes Yes No 17,275,660[9] Internet television

Orange 1994- Non-freePay Unknown Unknown No No Unknown Mobile television

Smallworld[nb 7] Unknown Non-freePay 99[10] No No No [nb 8] Digital cable

T-Mobile 1993- Non-freePay Unknown Unknown No No Unknown Mobile television

Vodafone 1991- Non-freePay Unknown Unknown No No Unknown Mobile television

WightCable Unknown Non-freePay 120[11] No No No [nb 8] Digital cable

UK households receiving pay vs free TV on their main TVs Type Percentage Households Providers

Free 50.4% 13,033,440 Freesat, Freesat from Sky, Freeview, analogue terrestrial TV

Pay 49.6% 12,826,560 Sky TV, Smallworld Cable, TalkTalk TV, Top Up TV, Virgin Media, Wightcable

UK households by broadcast/reception system on their main TVs Type Percentage Households Providers

Terrestrial (free) 47.6% 12,300,000 Analogue terrestrial, Freeview

Satellite (free/pay) 37.1% 9,600,000 Freesat, Freesat from Sky, Sky TV

Cable (pay) 12.0% 3,100,000 Smallworld Cable, Virgin Media, Wightcable

Others 3.3% 860,000 BT Vision, TalkTalk TV, Top Up TV

Bar graph showing number of households for each television provider platform on their main TVs, as of end of June 2009

Reception devices for the UK's television providersProvider TV or IDTV STB Computer Mobile phone

(Unbranded analogue terrestrial) Yes N/A Yes No

Freesat Yes Yes No No

Freesat from Sky No Yes No No

Freeview Yes Yes Yes No

Freewire No No Yes No

The Internet No Yes Yes Yes

BT Vision No Yes No No

Orange No No No Yes

Sky TV No Yes No No

Smallworld No Yes No No

T-Mobile No No No Yes

TalkTalk TV No Yes No No

Top Up TV No Yes No No

Virgin [digital] No Yes No No

Vodafone No No No Yes

WightCable No Yes No No

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Analogue terrestrial television

Crystal Palace transmitter. Constructed in 1956, it is the main transmitter for London.

Digital switchover progress across the UK

Switchover not yet started; area

receives both analogue and digital transmissions

Switchover in progress; analogue BBC

Two transmissions ceased as a precursor to the full switchover

Switchover complete; area receives

digital transmissions and no analogue transmissions

Main article: Analogue terrestrial television in the United Kingdom

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VHF 405 Line Monochrome

The first regular TV broadcasts started in 1936. Transmissions were originated by the BBC, using the Band I-VHF 405-line television system. In 1955, a second commercial service was created using the higher Band III VHF 405-line television system, administered by the Independent Television Authority. Both systems were superseded and finally closed in 1985.

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UHF 625 Line Colour Service

A decision was made to introduce a nationally co-ordinated network of transmitters using the UHF 625-line television system. The first station to appear on this system was BBC Two in 1964. From 1969, the two VHF services also started to use this network, which took many years to complete. One reason for the long switchover period was the difficulty in matching the coverage level of the new UHF 625 line service with the very high level of geographic coverage achieved with the 405-line VHF service. Whereas the VHF system had less than 200 transmitters at approximately 100 locations at closure, the UHF systen numbered more than 4500 transmitters at over 1100 sites.

Over the next 30 years, whilst the network of transmitters expanded, two additional commercial services were offered (Channel 4 and Channel Five).

This system is currently being phased out, from 2008 to 2012.

Since 1998, a small number of local channels have operated under Restricted service licences. These will also cease by 2012.Common channel position Channel name Channel owner Regions[nb 9] Original launch date UHF launch date

1 BBC One BBC 18 regional variations[12] 2 Nov 1936 15 Nov 1969

2 BBC Two BBC 4 regional variations[13][nb 10] 20 Apr 1964 20 Apr 1964

3 ITV (on-air brand ITV1, STV or UTV; legal name Channel 3) ITV Network Ltd (ITV plc, STV Group plc, UTV Media, Channel Television) 17 regional variations (14 ITV1,[14] 2 STV,[15] UTV); 24 advertising regions;[16] 13 Teletext regions[17] From 22 Sep 1955 – 14 Sep 1962 15 Nov 1969

4 (England, Scotland and Northern Ireland) Channel 4 Channel Four Television Corporation 6 advertising regions[18] 2 Nov 1982 2 Nov 1982

4 (Wales) S4C Welsh Fourth Channel Authority 1 region 1 Nov 1982 1 Nov 1982

5 Channel 5 Northern & Shell 4 advertising regions[19] 30 Mar 1997 30 Mar 1997

6 Restricted Service Licence channels Various 18 channels (approx) From Oct 1998 From Oct 1998

Analogue terrestrial transmissions are currently being switched off in phases as part of the Digital Switchover. The last region is due to be switched off in the second half of 2012. See Digital switchover dates in the United Kingdom for more information.

As of January 2009, BBC One, BBC Two, ITV and Channel 4 broadcast from a network of 1,134 transmitters. Channel Five broadcasts from 52 transmitters, and the Restricted Service Licence stations broadcast from 14 transmitters.[20] See Category:Transmitter sites in the United Kingdom for information on some of these. The transmitters are operated by Arqiva.

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NICAM-728

Without affecting the definition of the "PAL-I" system, the UK also uses a digital stereo companding system on analogue terrestrial television called NICAM. Standing for Near Instantaneous Companded Audio Multiplex and used for digital stereo TV broadcasts to the public, it used the NICAM digital audio system used since the early 1970s for transmitting the audio carrier signal of a broadcast between two or more regional broadcasters and sometimes to the transmitters, where it was converted back to an analogue FM audio carrier almost 6 MHz above the video carrier signal.

Reception of the NICAM signal provided the user had a VCR or a TV capable of decoding the NICAM signal, which was broadcast on a carrier 6.552 MHz above the video carrier, and thus just 0.552 MHz above the FM mono audio carrier. The first UK NICAM stereo broadcast was made in May 1986 on BBC2, NICAM slowly being rolled out across the UK and across the broadcaster's programme schedules over the next 5 years, culminating in the official launch of NICAM on the BBC in 1991, ITV and Channel 4 having begun broadcasting NICAM in 1989 and 1990 respectively.

The service is sometimes referred to by its full, official, name, NICAM-728 - the 728 denoting the datarate (728kps) of the digital stereo information. Adaptive DPCM.

As of 2012, and the close of the analogue service, the NICAM digital stereo system will be obsolete. It has been superseded by digital stereo and surround-sound audio systems on digital TV platforms.

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Digital terrestrial television

Television aerials used for receiving analogue or digital terrestrial television. The term aerial is in common use rather than antenna.

Main article: Digital terrestrial television in the United Kingdom

Digital terrestrial television launched in 1998 as a subscription service named ONdigital. Since October 2002, the primary broadcaster is Freeview, with Top Up TV and ESPN (previously Setanta Sports before it went bust) providing additional subscription services.

Ofcom reports that, at the end of June 2009, there are

29,700,000 television sets equipped to view digital terrestrial in the UK (directly or via a set-top-box)

23,000,000 homes have main TVs equipped to view digital terrestrial

18,200,000 homes using digital terrestrial equipment

9,900,000 homes where digital terrestrial is the only form of digital television received[1]

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Cable television

A pavement dug up revealing the cables underneath. The green box is a common sight in areas with cable coverage, as are manhole covers enscribed with CATV.

Main article: Cable television

There are three providers of cable television, targeting different geographic areas within the UK. In all cases cable TV is a subscription service normally bundled with a phone line and broadband.

Smallworld Cable is available in south-west Scotland and north-west England. Pricing ranges from £10.50 (cost of phone line with 'free' TV) to £80 per month.[21]

WightCable is available in the Isle of Wight.

Virgin Media is available to 55% of UK households.[22] Pricing ranges from £11 a month (phone line with 'free' TV) to £30.50 a month,[23] with additional fees for premium services such as Sky Sports. Virgin also market V+, a digital video recorder and high-definition receiver.

Virgin Media is the only cable provider to supply high-definition television and video on demand, although these aren't available in areas provided with their analogue TV service.

Existing Virgin Media customers can end their ongoing subscriptions, and opt for their set-top box to be configured to receive digital 'freeview' channels, giving them a freeview service via Virgin Media.

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Satellite television

Satellite dishes on a wall in Hackey, UK. The small oval dishes are for viewing Sky, and are known as Minidishes. The larger dishes are for viewing satellite services from outside the UK.

Most viewed channels

The Broadcasters' Audience Research Board (BARB) measures television ratings in the UK. The following table shows viewing shares from 1992 to 2009 of channels which have once had, or still have, a viewing share of ≥ 1.0%. The figures for 2010 only account for the weeks up until 14 November.[40]

As of 2009, 15 channels have a viewing share of ≥ 1.0% together accounting for 67.4% of total viewing share. (4 additional channels had a viewing share ≥ 1.0% in 1992 but have since fallen below this). Of the 15 channels, 7 of these collectively had a viewing share of 79.3% in 1992, the largest of which was ITV with a share of 30.5%. As the number of channels rose and with the launch of digital television, the collective share of these channels had declined to 67.8% in 2002, and has remained at about that level ever since. ITV viewing share fell below BBC One in 2002; whist ITV viewing share declined, BBC One has remained stable at about 20% since 2001. Of these 15 channels, 4 are funded by the license fee; 2 are subscription; 7 of these channels launched after 1999. Comparing 1992 to 2009, only Channel4/S4C has seen an overall increase in viewing share.

Charts showing viewing share of channels with a viewing share of ≥ 1.0% from 1992 to 2009

Area chart showing aggregated viewing share

Line chart showing individual channel viewing share

Table showing viewing share of individual channels from 1992 to 2009, which either have or have had a viewing share of ≥ 1.0%. (Channels which have always had a viewing share of less than this aren't shown)Channels 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010*

BBC One 25.0 24.5 24.4 23.8 23.6 22.1 21.5 20.8 20.0 20.2 20.0 19.3 19.6 19.3 20.0 19.9 20.4 20.0 20.7

ITV[nb 12] 30.5 30.5 30.2 28.2 26.5 24.8 24.6 24.6 22.3 20.6 19.8 19.3 18.8 18.4 17.5 17.6 17.2 16.9 16.4

BBC Two 7.0 6.5 6.1 6.5 6.7 6.6 6.7 6.6 6.6 6.8 7.0 7.0 6.8 6.8 6.9 7.1 6.9 6.9 6.9

Channel 4/S4C 6.4 7.2 6.9 7.2 6.8 6.9 6.8 6.9 7.1 7.0 7.1 6.8 7.3 7.9 8.2 7.5 6.8 6.5 6.4

Channel 5 1.7 3.2 4.2 4.2 4.3 4.5 4.7 5.0 5.3 4.9 4.6 4.7 4.7 4.6

ITV2 0.1 0.3 1.2 1.6 1.8 2.0 2.0 2.0 1.9 2.1 1.9

ITV3 1.2 1.4 1.3 1.6 1.7 2.0

Sky Sports 1 3.3 1.5 3.4 3.8 3.7 3.4 2.2 2.2 1.6 1.8 1.7 1.8 1.8 1.7 1.7 1.7 1.4 1.4 1.1

CBeebies 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.3 1.2 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.2

BBC Three 0.7 0.9 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4

Sky1 7.1 7.0 5.4 4.9 4.7 4.2 4.3 4.0 4.3 3.5 3.7 2.9 2.4 1.9 1.7 1.1 1.0 1.2 0.9

E4 0.7 1.5 1.2 0.9 1.2 1.4 1.3 1.2 1.2 1.2

More4 0.6 0.7 0.9 1.1 1.0

Dave 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.4 0.6 1.1 1.0 0.9

Film4 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.4 0.7 0.9 0.9 1.0

BBC News 0.6 0.7 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.8 1.0

Living 0.6 0.7 1.1 1.1 1.7 1.3 1.2 1.0 1.1 0.7 0.9 0.9 0.8 0.6 0.5 0.6 0.5

G.O.L.D. 2.8 2.7 2.4 2.1 1.9 2.1 2.3 2.4 2.2 1.7 1.5 1.3 1.1 1.0 0.7 0.6 0.5 0.5

Disney Channel 1.1 1.0 0.8 1.1 0.9 0.6 0.4 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.4

Sky News 1.8 1.4 1.2 1.5 1.1 1.2 1.0 1.0 0.7 0.7 0.8 1.2 0.6 0.6 0.5 0.5 0.4 0.5 0.6

Sky Sports 2 1.1 1.8 1.5 1.2 0.8 0.8 0.7 0.8 0.6 0.5 0.5 0.4 0.5 0.4

Cartoon Network 2.4 2.4 2.0 1.4 1.1 0.7 0.6 0.5 0.4 0.3 0.3 0.2 0.2 0.2

Nickelodeon 1.9 1.9 1.7 1.3 1.1 0.8 0.5 0.4 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.2 0.2

Eurosport 1.0 1.0 1.1 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.6 0.5 0.4 0.4 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2

Sky Movies Comedy[nb 13] 3.4 3.3 3.4 3.2 3.0 2.4 2.1 2.1 1.4 1.2 0.8 0.8 0.6 0.4 0.4 0.2 0.2 0.1 0.1

Sky Movies Action & Thriller[nb 14] 6.0 4.8 3.8 3.5 3.2 2.8 1.8 1.3 0.8 0.7 0.5 0.4 0.5 0.3 0.3 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.1

Home[nb 15] 0.6 1.0 0.8 0.6 0.4 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.1 0.1

MTV 1.6 1.4 1.2 0.9 0.7 0.7 0.9 1.1 0.6 0.4 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.3 0.2 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.1

Since 1992, there are 11 channels which previously had a viewing share of ≥ 1.0%, but which have now fallen below. (These are depicted with grey titles in the table above). In 1992, these channels collectively had a viewing share of 12.8% via analogue satellite and cable television. This peaked in 1998 at 16.5%, coinciding with the launch of digital television. In 2009, the collective viewing share of these 11 channels is 3.5%. The largest individual loss is for a channel now known as Sky Movies Action & Thriller, from 6% in 1992 to 0.1% in 2009. With the exception of Sky News, these are all subscription channels.

Line chart showing viewing share of channels from 1992 which previously had a viewing share of ≥ 1.0% but which have now fallen below

Combined viewing shares for all channels from different television companies in 2008[41] Figures for timeshift and "extra" channels, if available, are included in the figure for the main channel. For example, the figure for ITV2 includes both ITV2 and ITV2+1 and the figure for Nick Jr. includes both Nick Jr and Nick Jr 2.

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Availability of channels from various providers This section requires expansion.

Availability of channels from various providers with channel numbersPosition Channel Analogue terrestrial channel Freeview channel Sky TV channel Virgin [digital] channel Virgin [analogue] channel TalkTalk TV channel Freesat Smallworld channel Wightcable channel Freewire channel Internet

1 BBC One 1 1 101 101? 1 101?? 101 [4]

2 ITV1[nb 12] 3 3 103 103? 3 103?? 103 ITV1 - itv.com

3 BBC Two 2 2 102 102? 2 102?? 102 [5]

4 Channel 4 Outside Wales - 4

Wales - N/A Outside Wales - 4

Wales - 8 Outside Wales - 104

Wales - 117

HD - 140 104? 4 Outside Wales - 104

Wales - 120??? [6]

4 S4C Wales - 4

Outside Wales - N/A Wales - 4

Outside Wales - N/A Wales - 104

Outside Wales - 134 Wales - 194

Outside Wales - N/A? N/A Wales - 104

Outside Wales - 120??? s4c.co.uk

5 Channel 5 5 5 105 105? 5 105??? N/A

6 ITV3 N/A 10 119 116? 13 115??? itv.com

7 ITV2 N/A 6 118 114? 12 113??? itv.com

8 E4 N/A 29 136 144? 14 122??? [7]

9 Sky Sports 1 N/A N/A 401 511? 551 N/A??? skysports.com

10 Sky1 N/A N/A 106 121? 353 N/A????

= CBeebies N/A 71 614 702? 305 601??? N/A

12 ITV4 N/A 28 120 117? 29 117??? itv.com

13 BBC Three N/A 7 115 106? 19 106??? bbc.co.uk

14 Dave N/A 19 111 126? 40 N/A??? dave.uktv.co.uk

Availability of programming from channels through mobile and VOD providersPosition Channel Freesat VOD Virgin VOD BT Vision VOD TalkTalk TV VOD Internet VOD Orange T-Mobile Vodafone

1 BBC One iPlayer Yes?? iPlayer???

2 ITV[nb 12] ITV Player No?? itv.com, stv.tv???

3 BBC Two iPlayer Yes?? iPlayer???

4 Channel 4 No Yes Yes Yes 4oD???

4 S4C No No?? S4C Clic???

5 Channel 5 No No?? Demand Five???

6 ITV3 ITV Player Yes?? itv.com???

7 ITV2 ITV Player Yes?? itv.com???

8 E4 No Yes Yes Yes 4oD???

9 Sky Sports 1 No No?? Sky Anytime???

10 Sky1 No No?? Sky Player??

= CBeebies iPlayer Yes?? iPlayer???

12 ITV4 ITV Player Yes?? itv.com???

13 BBC Three iPlayer Yes?? iPlayer???

14 Dave No No?? N/A???

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British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Main article: BBC

See also: Category:BBC television channels in the United Kingdom

The BBC is the world's oldest and biggest broadcaster, and is the country's first and largest public service broadcaster. The BBC is funded by a government grant; it does not carry advertising. The grant is financed by the payment of a television licence fee that all households with a television must pay. However, the funds do not go directly to the BBC but to the Treasury instead, via a government body known as TV Licensing. The government has no legal duty to hand all or any of this revenue to the BBC but traditionally has done.

Its analogue channels are BBC One and BBC Two. The BBC first began a television service, initially serving London only, in 1936. BBC Television was closed during World War II but reopened in 1946. The second station, BBC Two, was launched in 1964. As well as these two analogue services, the British Broadcasting Corporation now also offers digital services BBC Three, BBC Four, BBC News, BBC Parliament, CBBC Channel, CBeebies, BBC HD, BBC Alba and BBC Red Button.

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Independent Television (ITV)

Main article: ITV

See also: Category:ITV franchisees and List of ITV channels

ITV (Independent Television) is the network of fifteen regional commercial television franchises, originally founded in 1955 to provide competition to the BBC. ITV was the country's first commercial television provider funded by advertisements, and has been the most popular commercial channel through most of its existence. Through a series of mergers, takeovers and relaxation of regulation, twelve of these companies are now owned by ITV plc, two by STV Group plc while UTV remains independent. ITV plc, the operator of all English, Welsh, Southern Scotland and Channel Island franchises, has branded the channel as ITV1 since 2001, with regional names being used prior to regional programmes only since 2002. STV Group plc, which operates the two other Scottish franchises, has now unified the regions under the single name of STV. UTV, the Northern Ireland franchisee operated by UTV plc, uses its own name on air at all times, while the independent Channel Television uses the generic ITV1 stream and its own name prior to regional programmes. ITV has been officially known as Channel 3 since 1990, although this is seldom used to identify itself. The company also operates digital channels ITV2, ITV3, ITV4, Men & Motors, CITV Channel, some with HDTV streams. ITN, a subsidiary, currently holds the national news franchise, ITV Breakfast operates the breakfast franchise and Teletext Ltd operates the national teletext franchise.

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Channel 4

Main article: Channel 4

Launched in 1982, Channel 4 is a state-owned national broadcaster which is funded by its commercial activities (including advertising). Channel 4 has expanded greatly after gaining greater independence from the IBA, especially in the multi-channel digital world launching E4, Film4, More4, 4Music and various timeshift services. Since 2005, it has been a member of the Freeview consortium, and operates one of the six digital terrestrial multiplexes with ITV as Digital 3&4. Since the advent of digital television, Channel 4 is now also broadcast in Wales across all digital platforms. Channel 4 was the first British channel not to carry regional variations for programming, however it does have 6 set advertising regions.

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Channel 5

Main article: Channel 5 (UK)

Channel Five was the final analogue broadcaster to be launched, in March 1997. Its analogue terrestrial coverage was less than that of the other analogue broadcasters, and broadcast in re-assigned frequencies, often at a lower power from major transmitters only. The UHF analogue network was only designed for 4 channels, and so a small number of additional sites, already used for radio broadcasting, were used to boost coverage. It was also the first terrestrial broadcaster to broadcast on satellite and carry a permanent digital on-screen graphic (DOG). The channel was re-named "Five" in 2002, which saw an overhaul of the channel's identity and removal of the infamous DOG. RTL Group, Europe's largest television broadcaster and a subsidiary of Bertelsmann, took full control of the channel in August 2005. Five launched two new channels, Five US and Five Life (now known as Fiver/ 5*) in October 2006. All of these channels are also carried on satellite television, cable television and digital terrestrial television services. Channel Five also owns 20% of the digital terrestrial pay-TV provider, Top Up TV. In July 2010, Five was sold to Richard Desmond's Northern & Shell[42] which then decided to reinstate the channel's original name, "Channel Five".[43] Like Channel 4, Channel Five does not have programming regional variations, however it does so for advertising.

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Local television in the United Kingdom

The current Secretary of State for Media, Culture, and Sport[who?] announced his intentions[when?] to set up a network of local television stations across the UK. The initial plan was to create a network of local television stations, connected through a national backbone. This plan would create a television network similar to that of the network-affiliate model in the United States and Canada.[citation needed]

The first stations will be licensed in 2012, and allowed to start broadcasting that year too.

Richard Horwood, a former Trinity Mirror executive announced that when the local television stations are first licensed he intends to create a television network called Channel 6; this will be a network of local television stations, with Channel 6 supplying the prime time schedule (similar to the American network-affiliate model).[citation needed]

Another operator which has announced its intentions to set up a network of local television stations with a television network connecting them is City TV Broadcasting. That company says it is basing its operations on the Citytv television system in Canada, but there does not appear to be any official affiliation with the latter's owner, Rogers Communications. City TV is initially bidding on a station to be based in Birmingham.[44]

In June 2011 it was announced that the national spine plan would be scrapped, and a 'bottom-up' approach would be followed instead, were stations are individually licensed.[citation needed]

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British Sky Broadcasting (BSkyB)

Main article: British Sky Broadcasting

See also: Category:BSkyB television channels

British Sky Broadcasting operates a satellite television service and numerous television channels including Sky1, Sky2, Sky3, Sky Movies and Sky Sports.

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UKTV

Main article: UKTV

See also: Category:UKTV channels

UKTV is a joint venture between the BBC's commercial arm, BBC Worldwide, and Virgin Media. Both companies additionally wholly own a number of other channels, broadcast domestically or internationally.

Channels under the joint venture are Alibi, Blighty, Dave, Eden, G.O.L.D., Good Food, Really, Home, Watch, Yesterday plus a number of timeshift services.

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Other channel owners

The most watched digital channels are owned by the six broadcasters above. Other broadcasters who have secured a notable place on British television include Virgin Media, Viacom, Discovery Networks, Disney & Turner.[citation needed]

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Programming

British television differs from other countries, such as the United States, in as much that programmes produced in the United Kingdom do not generally have a long 'season' run of around 20 weeks. Instead, they are produced in a series, a set of episodes varying in length, usually aired over a period of a few months. See List of British television series.

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100 Greatest British Television Programmes

Main article: 100 Greatest British Television Programmes

100 Greatest British Television Programmes was a list compiled in 2000 by the British Film Institute (BFI), chosen by a poll of industry professionals, to determine what were the greatest British television programmes of any genre ever to have been screened. Although not including any programmes made in 2000 or later, the list is useful as an indication of what were generally regarded as the most successful British programmes of the 20th century. The top 10 programmes are:

Fawlty Towers BBC2 1975-1979

Cathy Come Home (The Wednesday Play) BBC1 1966

Doctor Who BBC1 1963-1989, 1996, 2005-

The Naked Civil Servant ITV 1975

Monty Python's Flying Circus BBC2 1969-1974

Blue Peter BBC1 1958-

Boys from the Blackstuff BBC2 1982

Parkinson BBC1/ITV 1971-1982, 1998–2007

Yes Minister / Yes, Prime Minister BBC2 1980-1988

Brideshead Revisited ITV 1981

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100 Greatest TV Moments

Main article: 100 Greatest TV Moments

100 Greatest TV Moments was a list compiled by Channel 4 in 1999. The top 10 entries are:# Programme Channel Year Moment

1 (Various) BBC One / BBC Two / ITV 1969 The Apollo 11 moon landing

2 News 1990 The release of Nelson Mandela

3 News 1997 Michael Portillo loses his seat in the general election, which came to symbolise the end of the period of Conservative government which had begun in 1979 with Margaret Thatcher as Prime Minister

4 News 1997 The death of Diana, Princess of Wales

5 News 1989 The fall of the Berlin Wall

6 1966 FIFA World Cup BBC One / ITV 1966 Final: England beats Germany 4-2; commentator Kenneth Wolstenholme's quotation "They think it's all over"

7 Only Fools and Horses BBC One 1989 Yuppy Love: Del Boy falls through a bar flap

8 Live Aid BBC One 1985 The multi-venue rock concert to raise funds for the famine of Ethiopia

9 Blackadder Goes Forth BBC One 1989 Goodbyeee: The protagonists go over the top

10 News 1963 John F. Kennedy assassination

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List of most watched television broadcasts

Main article: List of most watched television broadcasts

In 2005, the British Film Institute compiled a list of programmes with the biggest audience since 1955. The top 10 are:Rank Show Episode Number of Viewers Date Network

1 1966 World Cup Final 32.30 million 30 July 1966 BBC/ITV

2 Funeral of Princess Diana 32.10 million 6 September 1997 BBC1/ITV

3 British Royal Family documentary 30.69 million 1969 BBC1/ITV

4 EastEnders Den divorces Angie 30.15 million 25 December 1986 BBC1

5 Apollo 13 splashdown 28.60 million 17 April 1970 BBC1/ITV

6 FA Cup replay: Chelsea vs. Leeds 28.49 million 29 April 1970 BBC1/ITV

7 Royal Wedding of Charles & Diana 28.40 million 29 July 1981 BBC1/ITV

8 Wedding of Princess Anne and Mark Phillips 27.60 million 14 November 1973 BBC1

9 Coronation Street Alan Bradley killed by tram 26.93 million 8 December 1989 ITV

10 Coronation Street Hilda Ogden leaves 26.00+ million[45] 25 December 1987 ITV

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Top 20 Most Controversial TV Moments

Top 20 Most Controversial TV Moments was an E4 programme from 2005. The top 4 programmes were:

Ghostwatch (BBC One, 1992)

Jerry Springer: The Opera (BBC Two, 2005)

Brass Eye paedophilia special (Channel 4, 2001)

Derren Brown: Séance (Channel 4, 2004)

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Genre lists

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100 Greatest Kids' TV shows

Main article: 100 Greatest Kids' TV shows

The 100 Greatest Kids' TV shows was a poll conducted by the British television channel Channel 4 in 2001. The top 5 UK-produced programmes are:

The Muppet Show 1976-1981

Danger Mouse 1981-1992

Bagpuss 1974

Grange Hill 1978-2008

Mr Benn 1971-1972

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Britain's Best Sitcom

Main article: Britain's Best Sitcom

Britain's Best Sitcom was a poll conducted in 2004 by the BBC to identify the United Kingdom's best situation comedy. The top 5 programmes were:

Only Fools and Horses 1981-2003 – 342,426 votes

Blackadder 1983-1989, 2000 – 282,106 votes

The Vicar of Dibley 1994-2007 – 212,927 votes

Dad's Army 1968-1977 – 174,138 votes

Fawlty Towers 1975, 1979 – 172,066 votes

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British Academy Television Award for Best Drama Series

Main article: British Academy Television Award for Best Drama Series

The British Academy Television Award for Best Drama Series is one of the major categories of the British Academy Television Awards. The last 5 winners are:

2011: Sherlock – Hartswood Films / BBC Wales / BBC One

2010: Misfits – Clerkenwell Films / E4

2009: Wallander – Left Bank Pictures / Yellow Bird / TKBC / BBC One

2008 & 2007: The Street – Granada Productions / BBC One

2006: Doctor Who – BBC Wales / BBC One

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Analogue terrestrial programming

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Weekday

Weekday programming on terrestrial channels begins with breakfast national news programmes (along with regional news updates) on BBC One and ITV1, with children's programming on BBC Two and Channel Five. Channel 4 predominately broadcasts comedy and music programmes such as "Everybody Loves Raymond" and "Freshly Squeezed" in its morning slot. The weekday breakfast news programme ends at 9:15 am on BBC One and 9:25 am on Daybreak.

Following this on BBC One, lifestyle programming is generally shown, including property, auction and home/garden makeover. BBC One continues this genre until after the lunchtime news, whereby afternoon has a soap called Doctors followed by dramas currently occupy the schedule. ITV on the other hand takes over from Daybreak at 9:25 am, and generally broadcasts more human-interest chat-style shows, including The Jeremy Kyle Show, This Morning and Loose Women, in the morning to mid-afternoon slots, with the ITV Lunchtime News (including a regional bulletin) at 1:30 pm. Channel 4 often shows home-project and archaeology lifestyle programming in the early afternoon after a Channel 4 News summary. Channel Five broadcasts chatshow programmes in the morning including The Wright Stuff with regular news bulletins followed by the last nights Big Brother (During Aus-Dec, Jan). In the afternoon it shows a drama followed by an hour of Australian soaps such as Home and Away and Neighbours and a film.

At around 3:05 pm, BBC One switches to its CBBC children's output, before the game show Pointless at 5:15 pm. BBC Two often carries lifestyle programming such as Animal Park and occasionally many sporting events. ITV shows a lifestyle programme followed by a chat show such as The Alan Titchmarsh Show before repeats of classic ITV shows, such as Heartbeat, Poirot and Midsomer Murders in late-afternoon, before a gameshow-style programme at 5:00 pm, which have included Golden Balls and The Price Is Right.

News bulletins are broadcast between 6 pm and 7 pm on both BBC One and ITV, with BBC One beginning with the national 6 O'Clock news and ITV with the flagship regional news programme. At around 6.30, BBC One broadcasts the regional news programmes whilst ITV broadcasts the national news. Both Channel 4 and Channel Five have news programmes at around 7 pm.

Primetime programming is usually dominated by further soaps—including "Doctors", "EastEnders on BBC One, Coronation Street and Emmerdale on ITV, and Hollyoaks on Channel 4. These soap operas or 'continuing dramas' as they are now called can vary throughout the year, however weekly dramas, such as Holby City, are also fixed to scheduling. Because of this, the UK can often rely more heavily on TV guides, be it with the newspaper, online on as available on information services on the television: Ceefax/Teletext/BBC Red Button as well as built in Electronic Programme Guides.

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Weekend

Weekend programming traditionally contains further children's, lifestyle programming, as well as sporting events and the occasional afternoon film. There are further battles for viewers in the weekend primetime slot, often featuring reality or talent game shows in the evening. Morning and late evening news programmes still continue on BBC One and ITV, yet even these can be shifted about due to delays in sporting events.

After midnight, when late evening films are shown, many channels cease broadcasting "normal" programming or simulcast with another channel. Before 2000, the channels simply closed down, displaying news in the form of Ceefax or a test card. However, recently programming has been shown continuously. BBC channels will join BBC News in a multichannel simulcast. Since 2005, ITV has broadcast the ITV Play strand of phone-in participation TV programmes. Depending on the time of year, Channel 4 will close down to show live feeds of Big Brother (in the summer) and its spin-off, Celebrity Big Brother (in January). On weeknights, Channel Five generally shows various sports from around the world, including boxing and football from European leagues, with phone-in participation-TV Quiz Call on weekends.

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Cultural impact This section requires expansion.

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Moral decline of the country

In 1963, Mary Whitehouse claimed Sir Hugh Greene, then director of the BBC, was "more than anybody else [...] responsible for the moral collapse in this country". She subsequently launched the Clean Up TV Campaign, and founded the National Viewers' and Listeners' Association in 1965, now known as Mediawatch-uk.

In 2005, the BBC's broadcast of Jerry Springer: The Opera elicited 55,000 complaints,[46] and provoked protests from Christian organisation Christian Voice,[47] and a private prosecution against the BBC by the Christian Institute.[48] A summons was not issued,[49] however as a reaction against the campaigns, the website MediaWatchWatch.org.uk was formed, claiming to "keep an eye on those groups and individuals who, in order to protect their beliefs from offence, seek to limit freedom of expression."[50]

In 2007, the General Synod of the Church of England claimed that programmes such as Celebrity Big Brother and Little Britain were eroding moral standards. The Synod criticised broadcasting trends that "exploit the humiliation of human beings for public entertainment", and called for research to determine the behavioural impact of sexual or violent images.[51]

In 2008, the BBC broadcast a docudrama entitled Filth: The Mary Whitehouse Story. In a commentary of this, a journalist of The Independent speculated at the time that Whitehouse had been right in the sense that "allowing channels to broadcast [...] what they like after the 9 pm watershed [has led to] a dramatic decline across the board [in programming quality]". He concluded "On the wider question of whether sex and violence on TV has led to a general moral collapse in society at large, the jury is still out. No one doubts that Western civilization is teetering on the brink – scarcely a day passes without a teenager being stabbed to death in broad daylight – but it is unfair to lay the blame entirely at the feet of BBC2 and Channel 4."[52]

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Awards

Main articles: British Academy Television Awards and National Television Awards

The British Academy Television Awards (BAFTAs) are the most prestigious awards given in the British television industry, analogous to the Emmy Awards in the United States. They have been awarded annually since 1954, and are only open to British programmes. After all the entries have been received, they are voted for online by all eligible members of the Academy. The winner is chosen from the four nominees by a special jury of nine academy members for each award, the members of each jury selected by the Academy's Television Committee.

The National Television Awards is a British television awards ceremony, sponsored by ITV and initiated in 1995. Although not widely held to be as prestigious as the BAFTAs, the National Television Awards are probably the most prominent ceremony for which the results are voted on by the general public. Unlike the BAFTAs, the National Television Awards allow foreign programmes to be nominated, providing they have been screened on a British channel during the eligible time period.

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Regulation

Main articles: Ofcom and Advertising Standards Authority (United Kingdom)

Ofcom is the independent regulator and competition authority for the communication industries in the United Kingdom, including television. As the regulatory body for media broadcasts, Ofcom's duties include:

Specification of the Broadcast Code, which took effect on 25 July 2005, with the latest version being published October 2008. The Code itself is published on Ofcom's web site, and provies a mandatory set of rules which broadcast programmes must comply with. The 10 main sections cover protection of under-eighteens, harm and offence, crime, religion, impartiality and accuracy, elections, fairness, privacy, sponsorship and commercial references.[53] As stipulated in the Communications Act 2003, Ofcom enforces adherence to the Code. Failure for a broadcaster to comply with the Code results in warnings, fines, and potentially revokation of a broadcasting license.

Rules on the amount and distribution of advertising, which also took effect July 2005[54]

Examining specific complaints by viewers or other bodies about programmes and sponsorship. Ofcom issues Broadcast Bulletins on a fortnightly basis which are accessible via its web site. As an example, a bulletin from February 2009 has a complaint from the National Heart Forum over sponsorship of The Simpsons by Domino's Pizza on Sky1. Ofcom concluded this was in breach of the Broadcast Code, since it contravened an advertising restriction of food high in fat, salt or sugar.[55] (Restrictions in food and drink advertising to children were introduced in November 2006.)[56]

The management, regulation and assignment of the electromagnetic spectrum in the UK, and licensing of portions of the spectrum for television broadcasting

Public consultations on matters relating to TV broadcasting. The results of the consultations are published by Ofcom, and inform the policies that Ofcom creates and enforces.[57]

In 2008, Ofcom issued fines to the total of £7.7m. This included £5.67m of fines to ITV companies, including a £3m fine to LWT over voting irregularities on Saturday Night Takeaway, and fines totalling £495,000 to the BBC. Ofcom said phone-in scandals had contributed significantly to the fine totals.[58]

The Committee for Advertising Practice (CAP, or BCAP) is the body contracted by Ofcom to create and maintain the codes of practice governing television advertising. The Broadcast Advertising Codes (or the TV codes) are accessible on CAP's web site. The Codes cover advertising standards (the TV Code), guidance notes, scheduling rules, text services (the Teletext Code) and interactive television guidance. The main sections of the TV Code concern compliance, progammes and advertising, unnacceptable products, political and controversial issues, misleading advertising, harm and offence, children, medicines, treatments, health claims and nutrition, finance and investments, and religion.[59]

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) is an independent body responsible for resolving complaints relating to the advertising industry within the UK. It is not government funded, but funded by a levy on the advertising industry. It ensures compliance with the Codes created by CAP. The ASA covers all forms of advertising, not just television advertisements. The ASA can refer problematic adverts to Ofcom, since the channels carrying the adverts are ultimately responsible for the advertising content, and are answerable to Ofcom. Ofcom can issue fines or revoke broadcast licenses if necessary.

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Licensing

Main article: Television licensing in the United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom and the Crown dependencies, a television licence is required to receive any publicly broadcast television service, from any source. This includes the commercial channels, cable and satellite transmissions. The money from the licence fee is used to provide radio, television and Internet content for the British Broadcasting Corporation, and Welsh-language television programmes for S4C. The BBC[60] gives the following figures for expenditure of licence fee income:

50% - BBC One and BBC Two

15% - local TV and radio

12% - network radio

10% - digital (BBC Three, BBC Four, BBC News 24, BBC Parliament, CBBC, CBeebies)

10% - transmission costs and licence fee collection

3% - BBC Online, Ceefax, and Interactive Content (including bbc.co.uk and BBC Red Button)

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Recent technical developments

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Digital television

Digital television has been available in the UK since 1998 via satellite, cable or terrestrial, and since 1999 via IPTV. It introduced interactive television, 16:9 widescreen, electronic programme guides and audio description.

UK households receiving digital vs analogue TV on their main TVs[1] Type Percentage Households Providers

Analogue 10.2% 2,637,720 Analogue terrestrial

Digital 89.8% 23,222,280 Freesat, Freesat from Sky, Freeview, Sky TV, Smallworld Cable, TalkTalk TV, Top Up TV, Virgin Media, Wightcable

UK households receiving multichannel vs analogue terrestrial TV on all TVs[1] Type Percentage TV sets Providers

Analogue terrestrial 19.5% 11,700,000 Analogue terrestrial

Multichannel 80.5% 48,300,000 Freesat, Freesat from Sky, Freeview, Sky TV, Smallworld Cable, TalkTalk TV, Top Up TV, Virgin Media, Wightcable

Ofcom is tracking digital television penetration as part of the digital switchover, and releases quarterly reports. The report for Q2 2009 states:[1]

89.8% (23.2 million of 25.6 million televisions) of main TV sets now receive digital television

70% (24.3 million of 35 million televisions) of secondary TV sets now receive multichannel television (multichannel refers to any digital television, and analogue cable)

80.5% (48.3 million of 60 million televisions) of all TV sets now receive multichannel TV; the remainder receive analogue terrestrial television

Ofcom does not consider households which use Internet television as their primary source, whether connected to a TV set or not, nor television from the mobile TV providers or Freewire.

Broadcast digital television uses the MPEG-2 and H.264/MPEG-4 AVC technical standards, encapsulated as MPEG transport streams, which are themselves packaged/multiplexed using the Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB) suite of technical standards.

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Video on demand

Video on demand (VOD) offers the viewer a choice of programmes in an on-screen programme guide. When the viewer selects a programme to watch, it starts playing immediately. The programmes may be free, pay-per-view or subscription.

Freesat, BT Vision, TalkTalk TV and Virgin Media are the UK's four providers of video on demand delivered via IPTV or cable. They offer a combination of catch-up and archive content from programme makers and channel owners. Virgin is the UK's largest provider of on-demand content, with over 3,000,000 subscribers. Video on demand in the UK is also seeing overseas programme makers such as HBO launching VOD services.[61] Virgin also offers high-definition VOD.

BSkyB and Top Up TV market Sky Anytime and Top Up Anytime. Sky Anytime is available to subscribers of Sky+ or Sky+HD with a particular model of set-top-box. Both are 'push VOD' services which offer access to pre-selected programmes which are played back from the set-top-boxes hard disk drive.

In July 2009, BSkyB stated the intention to launch a full video on demand service in 2010, accessible to Sky+HD subscribers with a broadband Internet connection.[62]

Internet television also provides access to VOD, e.g. YouTube and other streamed video websites.

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High-definition televisionClose-up view

HDTV resolution SDTV resolution

Main articles: High-definition television in the United Kingdom and List of HD channels in the UK

High-definition television (HDTV) has four to five times as much picture information compared to standard-definition television, which results in sharper pictures. HDTV uses three resolutions, with equipment baring the HD ready or HD ready 1080p logos to signal their display capability and connectivity. The 1080p logo signifies reproduction of the three HD resolutions without distortion or overscan; however the 1080p resolution itself is not currently used for broadcasting. Unlike standard-definition television, all HD is widescreen (16:9 aspect ratio).Resolution Aspect ratio Standard definition HD ready HD ready 1080p

576i (720 × 576 interlaced) 4:3 or 16:9 Yes Yes Yes

720p (1280 × 720 progressively scanned) 16:9 No Yes Yes

1080i (1920 × 1080 interlaced) 16:9 No Yes Yes

1080p (1920 × 1080 progressively scanned) 16:9 No No Yes

BT Vision, Freesat, Freeview, Sky TV and Virgin Media are the UK's providers of high-definition television. Freesat and Freeview are free, and also provide ITV1 HD without manual tuning. BT Vision and Virgin Media are the only providers of on-demand high-definition. Sky TV's and Virgin's services are marketed as Sky+ HD and V+ respectively. BT Vision does not offer channels, but pay-per-view programmes which are downloaded and then played back.[63]

77% of the UK can currently receive Freeview HD with the rest of the country expected to be able to receive Freeview HD by 2012. Reception requires purchase of a set-top-box, IDTV or TV tuner card capable of decoding MPEG-4 and DVB-T2.[64] Provider Free/Pay BBC HD ITV1 HD Channel 4 HD Other HD channels On-demand Percentage Households[1]

BT Vision Pay-per-view No No No 0 Yes Unknown Unknown

Freesat Free Yes Yes Yes 2[nb 16] No 15.2% 355,500

Freeview Free Yes Yes Yes[nb 17] No No Unknown Unknown

Sky TV Subscription/pay-per-view Yes Yes Yes 55 No 56.2% 3,313,000

Virgin Subscription/pay-per-view Yes Yes Yes 5 Yes 28.6% 668,500

Total households 2,337,000

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