A beloved TV channel found on Virgin and Freeview is shutting down after more than a decade of broadcasting. And it comes just weeks after a similar channel was also shut down.

Notts TV is poised to shut down, bringing an end to over a decade of broadcasting across the county. Nottingham Trent University (NTU), the parent company of the independent channel, has confirmed via an internal email that it will not be applying to renew Notts TV’s licence.

The announcement was made today (Monday, February 17), and all staff at Notts TV have been informed. The channel first hit the airwaves in 2014 and recently celebrated its tenth anniversary with guests including Vicky McClure.

The channel’s licence was initially granted in 2014, along with over 30 other local TV channels nationwide. As these licences expire, Ofcom announced late last year that it would invite all stations to apply for an initial licence extension until November 25, 2026.

Following this initial extension, channels were then invited to apply for a formal renewal lasting eight years, up to 2034. The deadline for renewal applications is March 31, 2025, but it has now been decided that there will be no application for Notts TV.

This means the channel’s licence will terminate on November 25 this year, and Notts TV, which according to recent accounts employs an average of nine people, will subsequently close. Notts TV broadcasts across Nottinghamshire on Freeview, BT and Virgin and is the official broadcast partner for the annual Splendour Festival, reports Nottinghamshire Live.

The channel currently holds the BBC’s Local Democracy Reporting scheme contract for Nottinghamshire. Its flagship shows include Notts Today and Team Talk, with regular hosts such as ex-BBC Radio Nottingham presenter Mark Dennison.

The channel’s board of directors includes former Nottingham Post editor Mike Sassi and Angela Brown, the executive dean of the school of arts and humanities at NTU. The most recent financial reports reveal that the channel suffered a loss exceeding £13,000, a significant increase from a loss of over £1,000 in the previous year.

The same reports indicate that Notts TV owes more than £1.7 million to creditors, including £765,000 to NTU. The university is also grappling with its own financial issues, as recent accounts show that its income levels for 2024 remained stagnant compared to the previous year, ending a streak of consistent annual growth.

NTU has been approached for additional comments.

The sad closure comes weeks after a similar local TV project, London Live, was closed.

Notts TV, London Live and other local TV stations were born from a scheme introduced in 2011 by Jeremy Hunt when he was Culture Secretary in the Conservative-Lib Dem coalition government. New channel London TV has taken over London Live’s slot and it is hoped the same could happen with Notts TV’s.

Virgin Media and Freeview users can watch Notts TV channels 159 and 7 in and around Nottingham.

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