Ofcom awards local TV multiplex licence

Ofcom has today awarded the licence to operate the new local TV multiplex' on digital terrestrial TV (DTT).

The multiplex operator will be responsible for building and maintaining the technical infrastructure required to broadcast the 19 local TV services currently being licensed by Ofcom. The award follows legislation enabling Ofcom to issue local TV licences.

The multiplex licence is awarded to:

Name: Comux

Website: www.comux.co.uk

The licence has been awarded for a period of 12 years. Ofcom expects that the multiplex operator will set up the required infrastructure so that some local TV channels can be on air before the end of 2013.

A multiplex is a discrete amount of broadcasting capacity on DTT. The multiplex operator is required to cover all of the initial 19 local TV locations and applicants were also asked to propose additional areas to cover. Applicants could select from 44 other such areas, where coverage is technically possible, or make a case for other locations to be added.

Comux, the successful applicant, has proposed to cover up to 28 further locations which are listed below. Ofcom will be seeking expressions of interest from potential operators in these additional locations, as it did before the first phase of licensing, and advertising local licences later this year.

As well as broadcasting the local TV channels, the multiplex operator can broadcast two additional video streams, which can be leased to other organisations on a quasi-national commercial basis.

In May 2012, Ofcom invited applications to run local TV services in 21 local areas. In total, 57 applications were received to run local TV services in 19 areas, along with four applications for the local multiplex.

In addition to the multiplex licence, Ofcom has now awarded 14 local TV licences and will make further awards in the coming months.

A statement setting out the main reasons for the award of the licence have been published on the Ofcom website.

ENDS

1. The 19 initial locations that the multiplex operator is required to cover are: Belfast Birmingham, Brighton & Hove, Bristol, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Grimsby, Leeds, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Newcastle, Norwich, Nottingham, Oxford, Preston, Sheffield and Southampton.

2. The additional areas that the successful multiplex applicant, Comux, has proposed to cover, subject to local television licences being awarded in those areas, are:

Aberdeen Dundee Mold

Ayr Guildford Reading

Bangor Hereford Salisbury

Barnstaple Inverness Scarborough

Basingstoke Kidderminster Stoke on Trent

Bedford Limavady Stratford upon Avon

Bromsgrove Luton Tonbridge

Cambridge Maidstone York

Carlisle Malvern

Derry/Londonderry Middlesbrough

3. Ofcom will also be seeking final expressions of interest in Swansea and Plymouth. Local licences were advertised in May 2012 for these areas but, despite expressions of interest, there were no applicants. These areas remain part of the required coverage commitment of the multiplex licensee, if local licence awards can be made.

4. 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.

5. Digital UK, the organisation responsible for the management and allocation of channel numbers on DTT, has reserved channel numbers for new public service local TV channels. These will be located on the Freeview Electronic Programme Guide at position 8 (in England and Northern Ireland) and 45 (in Wales and Scotland).

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

LINK:	http://media.ofcom.org.uk/2013/01/28/ofcom-awards-local-tv-multiplexli...
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