UTV – Ulster Television

In 1958, when the Independent Television Authority (ITA) invited bids for the Northern Ireland television franchise, two prominent proposals emerged. The Duke of Abercorn, backed by The Belfast Telegraph, submitted one, while the Earl of Antrim, supported by Sir Laurence Olivier and The News Letter, submitted the other. The ITA encouraged both parties to collaborate, leading to the birth of Ulster Television. The channel went live at 4:45pm on October 31, 1959, inaugurated by Lord Wakehurst, the Governor of Northern Ireland, and Sir Laurence Olivier.

Decades later, on June 4, 1993, the station rebranded itself as UTV, adopting the tagline ‘It’s all about U’. In October 2015, UTV announced its acquisition by ITV plc. Interestingly, ITV chose to retain the UTV brand rather than renaming the station as ITV Northern Ireland. Notably, UTV continued to feature in-vision continuity until the takeover by ITV.