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Ofcom has awarded licences to run local TV services in Swansea and Mold on digital terrestrial TV (DTT).

The licences are awarded to:

Swansea:

Channel name: Bay TV Swansea

Website: www.baytvswansea.co.uk

Mold:

Channel name: Bay TV Clywd
Website: www.baytvliverpool.com

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.

Ofcom has now awarded 25 local TV licences, as well as the multiplex licence. The first local TV channel began broadcasting on DTT in Grimsby on 26 November 2013.

In June 2013, Ofcom started the second phase of local TV licensing by inviting applications to run local TV services in seven local areas, including Swansea and Mold. In September 2013 Ofcom invited applicants for further 11 Local TV locations.

Ofcom awarded a local TV multiplex licence to Comux UK Ltd in 2013. The local multiplex licence is for a period of 12 years and all local services will run until the same date.

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

ENDS

NOTES FOR EDITORS

1. Ofcom estimates that the local TV licences could reach approximately 72,000 homes in Swansea and 25,000 homes in Mold. 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 26 (Wales and Scotland).
4. Full contact details for the current applicants, along with details of their application, are available here.