Television South
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| Based in | Northam, Southampton and Vinters Park, Maidstone |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | South and South East England |
| First airdate | 1 January 1982 at 9.30 am |
| Closed | 31 December 1992 at 11:59 pm |
| Replaced | Southern Television |
| Replaced by | Meridian Broadcasting |
| Owned by | TVS Entertainment plc - 1982 to 1993; International Family Entertainment (later ABC Family Worldwide, subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company) - 1993 to present. |
Television South (TVS) was the ITV franchise holder in the south east of England and parts of the south west of England between 1 January 1982 at 9.30 am and midnight of 31 December 1992. The company operated under various names, initially as Television South plc and then following reorganisation in 1989 as TVS Entertainment plc, with UK broadcasting activities undertaken by subsidiary TVS Television Ltd.
During its 11-year history TVS produced a number of notable programmes for the ITV network especially in the fields of drama, light entertainment and children's programming. It was also a significant regional broadcaster producing a wide range of programmes for its area with the flagship being the nightly award winning news programme Coast to Coast produced as two separate editions for the south and south east.
TVS ceased broadcasting on 31 December 1992 after losing its franchise to Meridian Broadcasting during the review of franchise holders in 1991. The company was sold to International Family Entertainment Inc. (IFE) in 1993 (now Disney subsidiary ABC Family Worldwide Inc.). Television South's name, abbreviation and logo are now owned by an independent production company.
TVS was formed following discussions between television producer James Gatward, television executive Bob Southgate, who had previously worked at ITN, Thames Television, and journalist Martin Jackson to apply for the new "South and South-East" of England ITV 1980 franchise. Finance was provided by Barclays Bank and Charterhouse investment bank. This area was the most hotly contested with seven other applicants besides TVS and the incumbent, Southern Television.
The Independent Broadcasting Authority had decided to change the area covered from the south to include the south east and included the Bluebell Hill transmitter, associated relays and the main relay at Tunbridge Wells which previously were covered by ITV's London contractors. To reflect this the contract area served by Southern Television, which was previously titled the South of England area was renamed South and South-East of England. To serve the new region better the IBA expected the successful applicant to operate separate facilities for both the south and the south-east, known as a dual-region, with new additional facilities to be built in the South East.
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