ITV Tyne Tees
ITV Tyne Tees, previously known as Tyne Tees, Channel 3 North East and Tyne Tees Television, is the ITV television franchisee for North East England and parts of North Yorkshire.
Logo used since 2013 | |
The Tyne Tees region of the ITV network | |
| Type | Region of television network |
|---|---|
| Branding | ITV1 |
| Country | United Kingdom |
First air date | 15 January 1959 |
| TV transmitters | Pontop Pike, Bilsdale, Chatton (formerly Burnhope) |
| Headquarters | Gateshead (previously Newcastle upon Tyne) |
Broadcast area | County Durham Cumbria (Alston area) Northumberland (majority) North Yorkshire (part) Teesside Tyne and Wear |
| Owner | ITV plc |
| Dissolved | lost on-air identity on 27 October 2002 (now known as ITV at all times) |
Former names | Tyne Tees Television (1959–1969) Tyne Tees (1969–1996, 1998–2002) Channel 3 North East (1996–1998), ITV1 Tyne Tees (2002–2004) |
Picture format | 1080i HDTV, downscaled to 16:9 576i for SDTV |
| Affiliation(s) | ITV |
Official website | itv |
| Language | English |
Tyne Tees launched on 15 January 1959 from studios at a converted warehouse in City Road, Newcastle upon Tyne, remaining in the city until July 2005 when Tyne Tees moved to smaller studios in Gateshead. Tyne Tees has contributed various programming to the ITV network and Channel 4, as well as its regional output. Some of Tyne Tees' best known programming includes the groundbreaking music show The Tube, critically acclaimed adaptations of Catherine Cookson novels, and children's programmes such as Supergran.
The ownership and management structure of Tyne Tees has altered across its history, particularly in various mergers with Yorkshire Television. The two stations were managed by Trident Television during the 1970s, and the two stations merged again in 1992 to form Yorkshire-Tyne Tees Television. A series of takeovers and mergers across the ITV network, instigated by the large groups Granada and Carlton, led to Tyne Tees becoming part of ITV plc in 2004. The licence is currently held by ITV Broadcasting Ltd and the original Tyne Tees Television Ltd was dissolved on 28 March 2017.
The analogue signals in the Tyne Tees region were switched off in 2012, making the station, along with ITV London and UTV, one of the last ITV regions to become digital-only.