Launched 31 May 2015 Picture format 576i (16:9 SDTV) Broadcast area Greater Manchester | Owned by That's TV Country United Kingdom | |
Audience share Local TV Macro Network:
0.01% (September 2015 (2015-09), BARB) | ||
That's Manchester is a local television station serving Greater Manchester. It is owned and operated by That's TV and broadcasts on Freeview channel 7 from studios at The Flint Glass Works in the Ancoats suburb of Manchester.
Contents
Overview
Before the launch of That's Manchester, Channel M had broadcast a locally-focused television service for Greater Manchester from February 2000 until April 2012, when the service was deemed unviable to continue by its owners.
In 2013, as part of a national roll-out of local television in the United Kingdom, the broadcast regulator OFCOM awarded the licence to Your TV Manchester, but the channel failed to launch within the two year time frame as stipulated by OFCOM. The company, which also won a licence to service the Preston and Blackpool areas, had beaten four other bids - Made in Manchester, Manchester News Channel, MCR TV and Metro8 Manchester.
That's TV subsequently took over the licence, and in May 2015, OFCOM granted That's Manchester a ten-and-a-half year licence to provide a local television service. A soft launch of the channel took place at 9pm on Sunday 31 May 2015.
In March 2016, the station was placed on notice by OFCOM over persistent technical issues in its programming, along with its sister stations, That's Lancashire, That's Oxfordshire and That's Solent.
The station broadcasts to its licence area from the Winter Hill transmitter via a directional localised signal beam on Freeview channel 7, but does not broadcast on Sky or Virgin Media.
Programming
That's Manchester's schedule consists largely of studio-based talk programming alongside local news bulletins. The station's main news programme, Manchester Headline News, airs at 6pm on weekdays. Other programming includes current affairs programmes Now We're Talking, Advice Show and The Big Debate, offbeat news show Student Speak, arts and culture show That's Chatty, and specialist shows such as That's Pride and The Geek Show.