Made in Leeds

Made in Leeds was the former branding of the local television service now associated with Leeds TV and Local TV Leeds. The station serves Leeds and the wider West Yorkshire area from studios and offices in the Chapeltown district of Leeds. It is owned and operated by Local Television Limited and forms part of a wider group of eight local television stations in the United Kingdom. The service emerged from the United Kingdom's local television licensing programme. In May 2012, Ofcom invited operators to bid for local television licences in cities and communities across the country. The Leeds and West Yorkshire licence attracted several proposals, including bids from Leeds TV, a consortium that included Leeds United, Metro8 Leeds, NORTH and YourTV Leeds. In February 2013, Ofcom announced that Made Television had won the licence. The proposed coverage area had a potential audience of approximately 3.5 million people, making it the largest footprint in the Made TV network. Broadcasting began on 6 November 2014, shortly after the launch of Made Television's Bristol and Cardiff services. The channel initially distributed its programming through Freeview, Sky and Virgin Media. Under the Made in Leeds name, it developed a local television proposition centred on regional news, sport, features and community-oriented programming. The station reported a weekly audience of about 431,000 after its first three months on air and later claimed a monthly audience of approximately 715,000 in March 2016. These figures were audience claims associated with the station rather than independently verified financial or corporate performance data. The service expanded its distribution through online streaming in August 2015. On 5 April 2016, it moved from Freeview channel 8 to channel 7, where it continued to broadcast via the Emley Moor transmitter. Its schedule also changed as the network sought to combine local output with acquired and shared programming. From May 2017, the station and sister channels carried selected programming from the UK and Ireland version of TruTV under a supply arrangement with Sony Pictures Television. Later, the network carried extended blocks of CBS Reality, and from the beginning of 2023 acquired blocks from TalkTV were reported on the service. A further structural change occurred on 2 January 2018, when the station ceased broadcasting as a distinct service on digital satellite. It was replaced there by a generic Made Television network feed that included a daily local-news segment for several licence areas, including Leeds. Local output continued through the broader network arrangement. By February 2018, the station was required to provide 37 hours of first-run local programming each week, while its principal local programme was Yorkshire Live, a rolling four-hour block of recorded local news, sport and features shown on weekday evenings. The Leeds service also carried programming produced by other Local TV stations, independent producers and external broadcasters. The Made in Leeds identity therefore represents an important historical brand phase of the Leeds local television licence, while the underlying Leeds service remains part of the Local Television Limited network.

Leeds TV is a local television service serving Leeds and West Yorkshire, historically branded as TalkLeeds, Leeds TV and Made in Leeds. The service is operated by Local Television Limited from facilities in Chapeltown, Leeds, and belongs to a network of eight local television stations. Its origins lie in Ofcom's programme to introduce new local television services in parts of the United Kingdom. Ofcom opened the relevant licensing process in 2012. The Leeds and West Yorkshire competition included several proposed operators, among them Leeds TV, a group involving Leeds United, Metro8 Leeds, NORTH and YourTV Leeds. In February 2013, Ofcom awarded the licence to Made Television. The licence area was projected to reach roughly 3.5 million people, making it the largest coverage area in the Made TV network. The station launched on 6 November 2014 under the Made in Leeds identity. It was distributed through Freeview, Sky and Virgin Media, and later added live online streaming in August 2015. The station claimed a weekly audience of approximately 431,000 after its first three months and a monthly audience of around 715,000 in March 2016. In April 2016, it moved from Freeview channel 8 to channel 7 and continued to use the Emley Moor transmitter. The service's schedule combined locally produced content with programming shared across the Made network. Its local remit included news, sport and features for Leeds and West Yorkshire. In May 2017, the station began carrying blocks of programming from TruTV as part of a supply agreement involving Sony Pictures Television. By late 2017, the wider Made network was also reported to be carrying substantial CBS Reality output. On 2 January 2018, the Leeds service stopped broadcasting as a separate digital-satellite channel and was replaced on that platform by a generic Made Television feed. That feed retained a daily local-news allocation for a number of licence areas, including Leeds. The local television licence required 37 hours of first-run local programming each week. Around February 2018, the main local output was Yorkshire Live, a weekday-evening block containing pre-recorded local news, sport and features. The channel also carried programmes from other Local Television stations, independent producers and external broadcasters. Later schedule information identified recurring acquired blocks from TalkTV from the beginning of 2023. The Made in Leeds name is consequently best understood as a former brand identity within the continuing Leeds local television service rather than as an independent national broadcaster.

• 2023

  TalkTV programming enters the schedule

  [1]Leeds TVen.wikipedia.org

  The service began carrying recurring TalkTV blocks as part of its broader mixed local and acquired schedule.

• 2018

  Separate satellite feed discontinued

  [1]Leeds TVen.wikipedia.org

  Made in Leeds was replaced on digital satellite by a generic network feed with a local-news segment.

• 2017

  TruTV supply arrangement

  [1]Leeds TVen.wikipedia.org

  The Made network began carrying scheduled TruTV programming blocks.

• 2016

  Freeview channel change

  [1]Leeds TVen.wikipedia.org

  The service moved from Freeview channel 8 to channel 7.

• 2015

  Online streaming begins

  [1]Leeds TVen.wikipedia.org

  The station added live streaming through its website.

• 2014

  Broadcast launch

  [1]Leeds TVen.wikipedia.org

  Made in Leeds began broadcasting on 6 November through Freeview, Sky and Virgin Media.

• 2013

  Made Television wins the Leeds licence

  [1]Leeds TVen.wikipedia.org

  Ofcom selected Made Television to operate a local service covering Leeds and West Yorkshire.

• 2012

  Ofcom opens local television licensing process

  [1]Leeds TVen.wikipedia.org

  Ofcom invited operators to submit proposals for new local television services in cities and communities across the United Kingdom, including Leeds.

A regional free-to-air television service focused on Leeds and West Yorkshire, combining locally produced news, sport and features with programming shared across the Local Television network and acquired from external broadcasters.

• Local television station · 2014

  Made in Leeds local television service

  The core offering was a free-to-air local television service for Leeds and West Yorkshire. It distributed regional news, sport, features and other locally relevant material through broadcast platforms, while also participating in programming arrangements shared across the Local Television network.

• Local news and features programme

  Yorkshire Live

  Yorkshire Live was the principal local programme identified for the Leeds service around 2018. It was presented as a rolling block of recorded local news, sport and features, with weekday-evening transmission and an additional shorter segment on the networked satellite feed.

• Digital video service · 2015

  Online live stream

  The station extended its distribution beyond conventional television platforms by offering a live stream through its website from August 2015.

• 2018

  Integration into a generic network satellite feedStrategy

  Background

  The operator reorganised how its local services were distributed on digital satellite.

  Action taken

  The separate Made in Leeds satellite service was discontinued and replaced by a generic Made Television feed containing a daily local-news block for multiple licence areas.

  Aftermath

  Leeds remained represented within the network feed while the service continued local broadcasting through other distribution arrangements.

  Source

• 2017

  Addition of acquired network programmingStrategy

  Background

  The Made network supplemented its local output with externally supplied programming.

  Action taken

  Made in Leeds and sister channels added daily TruTV blocks under a supply agreement with Sony Pictures Television, followed by other acquired network content.

  Aftermath

  The schedule increasingly combined local programming with shared and acquired programming.

  Source

• 2013

  Acceptance of the Leeds local television licenceOther

  Background

  Ofcom's local television licensing process created an opportunity to serve Leeds and West Yorkshire, an area described as having a potential audience of about 3.5 million.

  Action taken

  Made Television accepted the licence awarded by Ofcom and developed the Made in Leeds service.

  Aftermath

  The service launched in November 2014 and became part of the Made Television local-station network.

  Source

1. 1Leeds TVen.wikipedia.org