TVTimes

TV Times is a British television listings magazine published by Future plc. First published in 1955, it is known for its access to television stars and their programmes. Until 1991, in the regions where it was published, it was the only publication permitted to publish weekly listings for ITV, Channel 4 and S4C.

TV Times
TVTimes logo from 1999 to 2016
EditorRobert Hiley
CategoriesTV listings magazine
FrequencyWeekly
Circulation197,153 (ABC Jan-Jun 2016)[1]
Print and digital editions.
First issue22 September 1955
CompanyIndependent Television Publications (1955–1989)
TI Media (formerly IPC Media and Time Inc. UK) (1989–2020)
Future plc (2020–present)
CountryUnited Kingdom
Based inLondon, England
LanguageBritish English
Websitewww.whatsontv.co.uk/tv-times/
ISSN0962-1660

Publication history

The magazine was launched on 22 September 1955, at the start of transmissions of the first ITV station, Associated-Rediffusion. Initially, the magazine was published only in the London area, carrying listings for Associated-Rediffusion (Rediffusion, London from 1964) on weekdays and ATV at weekends, while the other ITV regional companies were served by their own listings magazines before TV Times became a national magazine on 21 September 1968.

The magazine was branded as TV Times Magazine from 3 October 1981 until 6 October 1984, the premise being it contained more than simply television listings. From November 1982 onwards, it carried listings for Channel 4 and its Welsh equivalent, S4C. On 7 October 1989, the programme schedule pages were finally printed in full colour for the first time. When the television listings were deregulated on 1 March 1991, TV Times began carrying listings for the BBC's television channels, which up to that point had only been printed in the BBC's official listings magazine, Radio Times.[2] On 11 February 2006, the magazine was refreshed for a more modern look including the double-page highlights of programmes on all channels, plus radio and kids' television listings were scrapped, increasing its emphasis on big-star interviews and soaps.

Originally published by Independent Television Publications (an association of the ITV companies), before the magazine was acquired by IPC Media in 1989, which became Time Inc. UK in 2014.[3]

Use of the brand

ITV used the branding for several broadcast spin-offs, including Miss TV Times and The TV Times Awards during the 1970s and 1980s.

Regional editions

Prior to September 1968, several of the regional ITV companies produced their own listings magazines:

Magazine ITV regions
TV Times
TV Guide STV (until May 1962)
Television Weekly
  • TWW (until 1968)
  • Teledu Cymru (WWN until 1964, TWW from 1964–1968)
  • ITSWW (4 March – 19 May 1968)
  • Harlech (from 20 May 1968)
TV World
The Viewer
TV Post UTV (Ulster Television)
Look Westward WTV (Westward Television)
Channel Viewer Channel Television

From 1956 to 1964, the Midlands originally had their own edition of TV Times listing ATV and ABC programmes, but a separate listings magazine in the Midlands called TV World from 27 September 1964, with the innovative idea of splitting the magazine itself 50:50, with a second cover in the middle allowing for the magazine to be folded over to create both a weekend and a weekday magazine from one publication, before TV Times went national on 21 September 1968.

During the late 1950s until the early 1980s, TV Times suffered frequent printing disputes that often meant emergency or special combined editions.

On 1 March 1991, TV Times published BBC1 and BBC2 programme listings for the first time, which also the 11 regional editions that generally referred to by the ITV company's name rather than geographical area:

BBC regions ITV regions
BBC Northern Ireland UTV (Ulster Television)
BBC Scotland
BBC North East Tyne Tees
BBC North Yorkshire
BBC North West Granada
BBC Wales/West HTV
BBC Midlands Central
BBC East Anglia
BBC South East
BBC South
BBC South West

Every ITV regional area originally had its own version, but since 2006 there have been only four editions:

Edition Channels
England All BBC and ITV regions in England and the Channel Islands
Scotland
Wales
Northern Ireland

Channel Viewer/CTV Times

Channel Television published its own listings magazine Channel Viewer on 1 September 1962, followed by a 1970s relaunch as Channel Television Times and then later shortened to CTV Times until 25 October 1991 as it was feared that the company might cease trading without the revenue from its own magazine.[4]

See also

References
  1. "ABC Certificates and Reports: TV Times". Audit Bureau of Circulations. Retrieved 6 January 2015.
  2. "The TV-Listings Market: The Duopoly Strikes Back". The Economist. 2 February 1991. p. 53.
  3. Devitt, Maureen. "Scottish Television profit 21% brighter". Herald Scotland. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
  4. https://www.transdiffusion.org/2014/09/29/not-the-tvtimes
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