The Local TV Network (LTVN), the industry body representing the UK’s 34 local digital TV broadcast stations, appointed Whitehouse Communications to design and deliver a public affairs campaign as station licences approached expiry in 2025. The campaign secured conditional licence renewal as the government’s preferred option in June 2023 and led to the network’s invitation by Media Minister Stephanie Peacock to join a ministerial forum on the future of UK television.
The challenge
The Local TV Network (LTVN) is the industry body for local digital television programme services in the UK. It represents 34 local TV broadcast stations that bring public service content to millions of homes in towns and cities across the country.
Licences for all 34 local TV broadcast stations were due to expire in 2025, creating significant policy and regulatory uncertainty for the sector. LTVN appointed Whitehouse Communications to design and implement a public affairs strategy ahead of a government consultation on the renewal or relicensing of individual local TV services, engaging directly with government, Parliament and the regulator, Ofcom, to protect and promote the interests of the local TV sector.
Our approach
Whitehouse Communications developed a compelling and informative narrative on the importance of local TV and its fundamental role within the wider media ecosystem, and delivered a targeted political engagement programme to build cross-sector support ahead of the government consultation.
The work focused on:
- Building a bank of key supporters across Parliament, government and industry, willing to champion the importance of the local TV sector.
- Launching an industry report to set out the case for local TV and inform the government consultation.
- Delivering a local TV parliamentary reception on 28 March, securing over 100 attendees including dozens of parliamentarians and senior representatives from Ofcom and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS).
- Implementing a thought leadership strategy in the political and trade press, including the publication of an op-ed by Andy Carter MP, Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Media, in a leading UK political title.
The outcome
The campaign secured conditional licence renewal as the government’s preferred option in June 2023, addressing the immediate regulatory uncertainty facing the UK’s 34 local TV broadcast stations. Whitehouse Communications’ strong relationships with influential MPs, key parliamentarians and civil servants, combined with the campaign’s thought leadership strategy, also led to stakeholders proactively promoting local TV and seeking LTVN’s views on the future of the industry.
The Local TV Network was subsequently invited by Media Minister Stephanie Peacock to join a special ministerial forum on the future of UK television.
In their words
