UK plans to renew licences for local TV services

LONDON – Britain proposes to renew the licences of 34 local television services, subject to a review of each station’s future plans, the government said on Wednesday.

“Local TV stations from Belfast to Birmingham help to support local journalism, drive the creative economy and foster pride in communities,” media minister John Whittingdale said.

“We want to see this continue, so we’ve set out plans … to review all services to ensure they’re well positioned to continue serving local audiences with trusted and distinctive content for years to come.”

(Reporting by Sachin Ravikumar; editing by William James)