Beloved TV channel shuts down today on Sky and Virgin Media after ten years of broadcasting
A TV channel bids farewell to viewers for the last time tonight after more than ten years on-air.
London Live has been a fixture on Sky, Virgin Media and Freeview since March 2014.
The station covered local news and documentaries about the capital.
But it mostly aired classic shows such as Mistresses and Cranford.
Over the years it showed favourites including Green Wing, Peep Show and Smack the Pony too.
On Thursday, London Live broadcast its last flagship news programme, London Live News at 6.
“Well, that’s it,” presenter Helena Wadia said on the final show.
“After ten years that’s our final ever London Live News at 6 show.
“We want to thank you for watching today and over the last decade.
“It’s been a pleasure to bring you the local news from across London every week.
“To ever musician, actor or artist who got their first TV break on London Live, we’re so happy to have played a small part in your journey.
“To everyone who came and spoke passionately about a topic, fundraiser or charity close to their heart, we’re so glad to have provided that platform.”
Local TV Ltd, which already runs a number of other channels across the UK, purchased the channel at the start of the month and announced London Live’s closure soon after.
The move follows a warning by an industry expert that more channel closures are likely in 2025 and beyond as the shift towards streaming disrupts traditional broadcasting.
“This is inevitable, more broadcasters will cull broadcast/linear TV channels as viewers are flocking to streaming services,” Paolo Pescatore from PP Foresight told The Sun.
“The big TV switch off is around the corner, with all programming set to be delivered via the internet.
“Viewers are now spoilt for choice with how and where they watch the TV shows they love across a range of connected devices.
“To respond, broadcasters need to be prepared and work more closely with telecom providers to ensure a seamless experience for users.”
Will more channels close soon?
Analysis by Jamie Harris, Assistant Technology and Science Editor at The Sun
The BBC announced in 2022 that CBBC and BBC Four would disappear as traditional linear channels in a few years and go digital only via iPlayer.
However, the pair may have had a bit of a reprieve for now, after the BBC’s head of children’s programmes, Patricia Hildago, recently said “it’s really important… that if children still need us on a linear network, we’re going to be there for them”.
When Channel 4 announced the closure of The Box and other music channels it owned in January, the broadcaster hinted that more could come.
At the time the company said it was proposing to “close small linear channels that no longer deliver revenues or public value at scale, including the Box channels in 2024 and others at the right time”.
So which could the “others” be? It really depends what Channel 4 considers “small” but its other channels include More4, E4, E4 Extra, Film4 and 4Seven.