UTV

When the ITA advertised bids for the Northern Ireland franchise in 1958, two proposals were submitted: one from the Duke of Abercorn with the support of the Belfast Telegraph, and the other from the Earl of Antrim with support from Sir Laurence Olivier and the News Letter. The ITA asked both to collaborate, and they eventually reached an agreement, leading to the establishment of Ulster Television, which started its broadcasts on 31 October 1959 at 4:45pm. The launch was hosted by Lord Wakehurst, the Governor of Northern Ireland, and Sir Laurence Olivier.

In 1993, the station was rebranded as UTV, with the tagline “It’s all about U”. In October 2015, UTV was acquired by ITV plc, which opted to retain the UTV name instead of rebranding it as ITV Northern Ireland. Prior to the takeover by ITV, UTV still had in-vision continuity.