UKTV

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This article is about the UKTV network of channels in the UK and Ireland. For the television channel in Australia and New Zealand, see UK.TV. For the Middle Eastern channel owned by ITV plc, see Granada UKTV.

UKTV

UKTV is a joint venture between the BBC's commercial arm, BBC Worldwide, and Virgin Media owned Virgin Media Television, formerly Flextech Television. UKTV is one of the United Kingdom's largest television companies.

UKTV's channels are available via satellite and cable in the UK and the Republic of Ireland. In the UK, on digital terrestrial television, UKTV History and UKTV Bright Ideas are available on the Freeview platform, and selected parts of UKTV Gold, UKTV Style and UKTV Food are available through Top Up TV.

Most programmes on UKTV's channels are repeat broadcasts of BBC productions (although the entertainment channels also feature programmes made by other companies) and the channels themselves are played out by Red Bee Media (formerly BBC Broadcast) from their 'Broadcast Centre' in West London.

UKTV has been criticized in recent years. Criticisms include the allegation that factual programming is cut down for commercial timing, but other programmes like comedy and drama, are not. Another point is that UKTV never (except World Cup games on UKTV G2) broadcasts in a 16:9 widescreen format, leaving a lot of its programming, and all adverts, with stretched pictures if viewed on a widescreen television. Widescreen transmissions are cut down to a 14:9 format leaving the sides of the picture cut off. However, UKTV have recently put up a survey asking about UKTV broadcasting in widescreen.[1]

[edit] Closed channels

UK Horizons - closed to create UKTV People and UKTV Documentary
UK Arena - focused on arts programming. Closed due to insufficient ratings, relaunched — originally with the same graphics — as UK Drama, see above
Play UK (formerly UK Play) — closed due to insufficient ratings
UKTV People +1 - closed to create UKTV Drama +1

UK Horizons and UK Arena were named after the BBC's flagship science and arts documentaries, Horizon and Arena.

Note that there was a channel called UK Living that was originally affiliated with UK Gold but did not become part of the UKTV network, it changed its name to LivingTV before the UKTV network launched.