STV2

STV2
Launched 23 April 2017 (2017-04-23)
Closed 1 July 2018 (2018-07-01)
Owned by STV Group plc
Audience share 0.02% (April 2018 (2018-04), BARB)
Country Scotland
Language English
Broadcast area Aberdeen, Ayr, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow
Headquarters Pacific Quay, Glasgow
Replaced STV Glasgow
STV Edinburgh
STV Aberdeen
STV Dundee
Sister channel(s) STV
Website stv.tv/stv2
Availability
Terrestrial
Freeview Channel 8
Satellite
Sky Channel 117
Cable
Virgin Media Channel 159
Streaming media
STV Player Watch live
. Catch up
(STV regions only)

STV2 was a local television network in Scotland, operating five city-based TV licences serving Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee, Aberdeen and Ayr. It was owned and operated by STV Group plc.

Initially broadcast as two separate stations – STV Glasgow and STV Edinburgh – the launch of three local licences in Aberdeen, Dundee and Ayr led to the launch of a single networked service on 24 April 2017.[1][2] In May 2018, it was announced that STV2 would shut down at the end of June 2018 as part of a strategic review. It closed on 30 June 2018.[3]

Overview

In January 2013, the broadcast regulator Ofcom announced STV had been awarded two licences to broadcast local TV services in the Glasgow and Edinburgh areas for a twelve-year period.[4] The broadcaster pledged to run the channels in partnership with Glasgow Caledonian University and Edinburgh Napier University respectively.[5]

Coinciding with a group-wide revamp, STV Glasgow began broadcasting at 6.30pm on Monday 2 June 2014, with the first edition of its flagship evening magazine programme, The Riverside Show.[6] STV Edinburgh followed at 7pm on Monday 12 January 2015, launching with the first edition of The Fountainbridge Show.

In March 2015, STV won three further local TV licences for the Aberdeen, Dundee and Ayr areas[7] under the working titles of Around Aberdeen, View from the Bridges and Ayrshire Today. No other bids were received for the three services.

The majority of STV2's programming was produced and broadcast from STV's headquarters at Pacific Quay in Glasgow. Unlike the main STV channel, where transmission originates in-house, playout and presentation is provided by Comux, the local TV multiplex operator, at its operations centre in Birmingham.[8]

Programming

The five local TV services under the STV2 banner carried a single schedule of networked programming.

STV News aired bespoke half-hour bulletins for STV2 at 1 pm and 10 pm alongside a simulcast of the Edinburgh edition of STV News at Six. The network's flagship news programme, STV News Tonight aired each weeknight at 7 pm and incorporates Scottish, UK and international news.[9] The half-hour programme, presented by Halla Mohieddeen, was produced in partnership with ITN.[10]

Non-news programmes for the channel included the early evening magazine Live at Five, Peter & Roughie's Football Show, Scottish Politics This Week, documentary series The People's History Show and chat shows including My Life in Ten Pictures and The Late Show with Ewen Cameron. Acquired programming included the Irish soap Fair City and Finnish drama Black Widows. Archive content included popular Scottish soap Take the High Road and crime drama Taggart.

List of programmes

Closure

STV announced in May 2018 that STV2 would close at the end of the following month due to low viewership and anticipated competition from the forthcoming BBC Scotland channel set to launch in February 2019. The closure of STV2 resulted in the loss of 25 jobs with a further 34 cut in a reorganisation of STV's news output.[3] The channel's assets were to be sold to That's Media, owners of the That's TV network of local television stations in England.[11] STV2 closed on 1 July 2018 after midnight.

References

  1. ↑ "STV to launch integrated Scottish and international news show". STV News. STV. 21 September 2016. Retrieved 21 September 2016.
  2. ↑ "STV announces launch date for new channel, STV2". STV Group plc. STV. 10 April 2017. Retrieved 10 April 2017.
  3. 1 2 "STV2 axed as broadcaster cuts 59 jobs". BBC News: Scotland. 16 May 2018. Retrieved 16 May 2018.
  4. ↑ "Ofcom awards local TV licences in Scotland". Ofcom. 11 January 2013. Archived from the original on 5 November 2013. Retrieved 29 April 2014.
  5. ↑ "STV awarded local television licences for Glasgow and Edinburgh". STV. 11 January 2013. Retrieved 29 April 2014.
  6. ↑ "STV announces Glasgow local TV launch date". a516digital. 31 March 2014. Retrieved 29 April 2014.
  7. ↑ STV wins new local TV licences in Aberdeen, Dundee and Ayr, BBC News, 19 March 2015
  8. ↑ Ofcom’s local TV multiplex operator to be based at Innovation Birmingham Campus, Innovation Birmingham Campus, 14 May 2013
  9. ↑ "STV to launch integrated Scottish and international news show". STV News. STV. 21 September 2016. Retrieved 21 September 2016.
  10. ↑ "Anchor of flagship STV News Tonight show announced". STV News. STV. 26 January 2017. Retrieved 27 January 2017.
  11. ↑ Glenday, John (16 May 2018). "Struggling STV 2 to be taken off air in online shift". The Drum. Retrieved 16 May 2018.
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