Independent Broadcaster Offers Radical Approach to Local TV Initiative

Independent Broadcaster Offers Radical Approach to Local TV Initiative

LONDON, March 3, 2011/PRNewswire/ --

- "Local TV is not About Mass Audiences or Massive Spending" says
Information TV - the Latest Company to Submit an 'Expression of Interest' to
DCMS

Information TV has joined the bidders for the DCMS Local TV
initiative, but unlike the majority of other companies expressing interest,
the company is the only broadcaster that has already made Local TV happen.
And this, two years before anything will emerge under Government plans and
without excessive funding, new legislation or regulatory changes.

Information TV (http://www.information.tv) is an innovative and
award-winning TV services company, prepared to dedicate an entire channel to
showcase Local TV programmes - and confident it can do so on a proven,
sustainable, commercial model. It has already been active in broadcasting
various Local TV initiatives (e.g. Lakes TV, Liverpool City of Culture, Man
United Fans TV) and has the support of other, similarly interested parties,
many of whom will shortly be launching new Local TV programming.

Information TV CEO, Fred Perkins observes that "whilst the
Local Media Action Plan states that 'it is not for Government to design a
local TV solution in isolation' it then describes a 'new network channel', an
'affiliate/network construct', the arranging of 'EPG prominence' and 'new
multiplex capacity'. The Secretary of State, Jeremy Hunt, seems to have
decided on the solution so it's no surprise that big companies with big ideas
have been quick to seize an opportunity which will not necessarily deliver
the aspirations of the Local TV providers."

"The Government wants to create the Big Society - empowering
individuals and local communities to work with and for one another. But Big
Society will not be served by the reinvention of regional ITV, run by big
companies and even bigger egos, spending tens of millions of pounds on a new
'national' TV channel."

"Local TV is not about mass audiences or massive spending,"
Perkins continues, "it's about bottom-up engagement with LOCAL capabilities,
where the stakeholders in Local TV are the entire local community. And it
doesn't require millions of pounds of funding, particularly the GBP40m from
the BBC - which, in these times of austerity, could be better deployed."

Perkins concludes that "the top down approach is one which
patently does NOT address the aspirations of the many local stakeholders who,
for several years, have been campaigning for 'Local TV' across multiple
fronts."

About Information TV

Over 7 years, Information TV has established itself as one of
the UK's leading providers of broadcast TV services with its flexible turnkey
solutions for businesses, organisations and brands aiming to establish an
independent broadcast presence on the UK's largest digital TV platforms -
BSkyB and Freesat, digital terrestrial (Freeview) - and via broadband on the
internet. On 19 November 2010 Information TV won a prestigious Eutelsat
Communications HOT BIRD(TM) AWARD, Lifestyle Channel of the Year, for its
innovative business model.

With its flexible, low-cost, low-risk broadcast solutions,
Information TV has gained a proven track record in helping business and
organisations reach their broadcasting potential through a variety of
formats. Through Information TV, many businesses and organisations have
established a broadcast presence in the UK, including: dedicated 24/7
channels (e.g. Russia Today), channels reaching new niche audiences through
digital TV (e.g. The Caravan Channel), channels piloting and developing new
commercial propositions (e.g. The Painting & Drawing Channel) and direct
communications with specific audiences & stakeholders (e.g. BP and ASDA).

With its own TV channels - Information TV (Sky Channel 166 /
FREESAT 402), SHOWCASE TV(TM) (Sky Channel 201 / FREESAT 403) and SHOWCASE 2
(Sky Channel 203) -- Information TV is able to offer flexible, low-cost
broadcast packages, whether for microchannels airing for as little as 30
minutes a week, to standalone TV channels operating 24/7.

As one of the few broadcast TV businesses to incubate start-up
TV channels, Information TV also helps organisations develop new
micro-channels, programmes, formats and concepts for broadcast content which
occupy too specific a niche to justify a dedicated channel.

For further information contact

fred.perkins@information.tv
Tel: +44(0)20-7131-6693
http://www.information.tv

Source: Information TV

For further information contact: fred.perkins@information.tv, Tel: +44(0)20-7131-6693

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Profile: intent