UKTV

A UK entertainment broadcaster, part of BBC Studios, running Dave, Gold, W, Drama, Alibi, Eden and Yesterday plus the UKTV Play streaming service.

About UKTV

UKTV is a UK television broadcaster that describes itself as having over 25 years of experience. It is part of BBC Studios and a commercial subsidiary of the BBC. Its channels are Dave, Gold, W, Drama, Alibi, Eden and Yesterday, which cover comedy, entertainment, natural history, factual programmes and drama. They reach viewers via UKTV Play, Freeview, Sky, Virgin Media, BT, TalkTalk, YouView, Freesat and Amazon Fire.

BBC Studios acquired UKTV in June 2019, and Marcus Arthur was appointed chief executive afterwards, also serving as President of BBC Studios UK and Ireland (as at January 2020; roles may have changed). Three channels, Really, Good Food and Home, were separated from the network in 2019, leaving the seven-channel portfolio. We did not find a formal mission statement, but the portfolio is built around comedy, entertainment and factual shows that audiences enjoy.

UKTV's profile lists its address as 10 Hammersmith Grove in London. A trade article from January 2020 said UKTV Play had more than three million registered users and that the network was the fifth biggest in the UK by adult commercial audience share in 2019. Those figures are dated, so treat them as background only. UKTV says its channels are watched on a wide range of platforms, which means its teams need to think about television, online and app audiences at the same time.

UKTV has commissioned original programmes including Taskmaster, Hypothetical with Josh Widdicombe and James Acaster, Expedition with Steve Backshall, Traces and Emma Willis: Delivering Babies. Other titles have included Dad's Army: The Lost Episodes, The Cockfields, Dial M for Middlesbrough, Stacey Dooley Sleeps Over and Abandoned Engineering, and comedy such as Red Dwarf, Big Zuu's Big Eats and Meet the Richardsons were announced for 2020. Working at a channel group like this involves commissioning, scheduling, marketing, brand and digital teams, data and audience insight, and rights and finance work, alongside the production companies who make the shows.

We did not find a current headcount or an official site page, and we did not research careers pages. Check UKTV's own website for the latest channel line-up, as channel names have been reorganised over time.

What they do

• {'desc': 'Dave, W, Gold, Drama, Alibi, Eden and Yesterday.', 'title': 'Entertainment channels'}
• {'desc': 'On-demand streaming of UKTV channels and originals.', 'title': 'UKTV Play'}
• {'desc': 'Commissioned comedy, factual and drama programmes.', 'title': 'Originals'}

Key facts

• Part of BBC Studios since June 2019
• Seven-channel portfolio (as at 2020)
• London address: 10 Hammersmith Grove
• Originals include Taskmaster and Hypothetical

Website: www.uktv.co.uk