Notts TV is set to close down in what will mark the end of more than a decade of broadcasting across the county. Nottingham Trent University (NTU), the parent company of the independent channel, has confirmed in an internal email that there will not be an application to renew Notts TV's licence.The news was revealed today (Monday, February 17) and all staff at Notts TV have been made aware. The channel first launched in 2014 and recently held an anniversary celebration to mark a decade of broadcasting, featuring guests including Vicky McClure.The channel's licence was first granted in 2014 along with more than 30 other local TV channels across the country. As those licences come to an end, Ofcom confirmed late last year that it would be inviting all the stations to apply for an initial licence extension lasting until November 25, 2026.After that initial extension, channels were then invited to apply for a formal renewal lasting eight years, up to 2034. The deadline for applying for renewal is March 31, 2025, and it has now been decided that there will be no application for Notts TV.It means the channel's licence will end on November 25 this year and Notts TV, which has an average of nine employees according to recent accounts, will then close. Notts TV broadcasts across Nottinghamshire on Freeview, BT and Virgin and is the official broadcast partner for the annual Splendour Festival.The channel is also the current holder of the BBC's Local Democracy Reporting scheme contract for Nottinghamshire. The channel's flagship programmes include Notts Today and Team Talk, with regular presenters including former BBC Radio Nottingham presenter Mark Dennison.Current directors of the channel include former Nottingham Post editor Mike Sassi and Angela Brown, the executive dean of the school of arts and humanities at NTU. The channel's most recent accounts showed that it recorded a loss of over £13,000, significantly up from a loss of over £1,000 the year before.Those accounts also showed that Notts TV owed more than £1.7 million to creditors, including £765,000 to NTU. The university itself is facing its own financial difficulties, with recent accounts showing that its 2024 income levels remained the same as the year before, marking the end of a period of consistent annual growth. NTU has been contacted for further comment.
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