Analogue terrestrial television in the United Kingdom
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.
Channels available
The following channels, all of which are free-to-air, are available on a national basis:
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 great a 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, and Six TV, which is available in Oxford, Southampton, Reading and Portsmouth. BBC One and BBC Two both have some regional programmes, such as the local news. The ITV Network 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.
Additional services
All channels carry at least one teletext service. This includes subtitles for many programmes.
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.
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 analogue 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.
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 practice ended outside of London in 1968.
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.
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.
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.
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).
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.
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.
- 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:
Broadcasting technology
405 lined system
| Ch | Video (MHz) | Audio (MHz) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 45.00 | 41.50 |
| 2 | 51.75 | 48.25 |
| 3 | 56.75 | 53.25 |
| 4 | 61.75 | 58.25 |
| 5 | 66.75 | 63.25 |
| 6 | 179.75 | 176.25 |
| 7 | 184.75 | 181.25 |
| 8 | 189.75 | 186.25 |
| 9 | 194.75 | 191.25 |
| 10 | 199.75 | 196.25 |
| 11 | 204.75 | 201.25 |
| 12 | 209.75 | 206.25 |
| 13 | 214.75 | 211.25 |
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 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 (now ITU-R) on an international conference in Stockholm in 1961 as System A.
Different broadcast stations across the country broadcast on different channels to avoid interference and allow for regional variations.
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.
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 at the start of 1985.
625 lined system
| Ch | Video (MHz) | Audio (MHz) |
|---|---|---|
| 21 | 471.25 | 477.25 |
| 22 | 479.25 | 485.25 |
| 23 | 487.25 | 493.25 |
| 24 | 495.25 | 501.25 |
| 25 | 503.25 | 509.25 |
| 26 | 511.25 | 517.25 |
| 27 | 519.25 | 525.25 |
| 28 | 527.25 | 533.25 |
| 29 | 535.25 | 541.25 |
| 30 | 543.25 | 549.25 |
| 31 | 551.25 | 557.25 |
| 32 | 559.25 | 565.25 |
| 33 | 567.25 | 573.25 |
| 34 | 575.25 | 581.25 |
| 35* | 583.25 | 589.25 |
| 36* | 591.25 | 597.25 |
| 37* | 599.25 | 605.25 |
| 38* | 607.25 | 613.25 |
| 39 | 615.25 | 621.25 |
| 40 | 623.25 | 629.25 |
| 41 | 631.25 | 637.25 |
| 42 | 639.25 | 645.25 |
| 43 | 647.25 | 653.25 |
| 44 | 655.25 | 661.25 |
| 45 | 663.25 | 669.25 |
| 46 | 671.25 | 677.25 |
| 47 | 679.25 | 685.25 |
| 48 | 687.25 | 693.25 |
| 49 | 695.25 | 701.25 |
| 50 | 703.25 | 709.25 |
| 51 | 711.25 | 717.25 |
| 52 | 719.25 | 725.25 |
| 53 | 727.25 | 733.25 |
| 54 | 735.25 | 741.25 |
| 55 | 743.25 | 749.25 |
| 56 | 751.25 | 757.25 |
| 57 | 759.25 | 765.25 |
| 58 | 767.25 | 773.25 |
| 59 | 775.25 | 781.25 |
| 60 | 783.25 | 789.25 |
| 61 | 791.25 | 797.25 |
| 62 | 799.25 | 805.25 |
| 63 | 807.25 | 813.25 |
| 64 | 815.25 | 821.25 |
| 65 | 823.25 | 829.25 |
| 66 | 831.25 | 837.25 |
| 67 | 839.25 | 845.25 |
| 68 | 847.25 | 853.25 |
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.
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.
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.
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 Broadcasting Act 1980 created Channel 4 and S4C. This early provision meant that near complete coverage was afforded to both networks at launch, in 1982.
When Channel 5 launched in 1997 a general lack of provision for the network led 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.
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 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.
| Regional Order | ITV Region | Proposed Date |
| 1st | Border | 2008 (second half) |
| 2nd | Westcountry | 2009 (first half) |
| 3rd | Wales | 2009 (second half) |
| 4th | Granada | 2009 (second half) |
| 5th | West | 2010 (first half) |
| 6th | STV North | 2010 (first half) |
| 7th | STV Central | 2010 (second half)) |
| 8th | Central | 2011 (first half) |
| 9th | Yorkshire | 2011 (first half) |
| 10th | Anglia | 2011 (first half) |
| 11th | Meridian | 2011 (first half) |
| 12th | London (weekdays/weekends) | 2012 (first half) |
| 13th | Tyne Tees | 2012 (first half) |
| 14th | UTV | 2012 (second half) |
No date was announced for the fifteenth ITV region, Channel Television. Under the original proposals it would convert last, after UTV.
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."
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.