Charles Russell LLP’s Technology, Media and Telecommunications team have advised Comux UK Ltd (Comux), a community-owned business appointed by Ofcom to build and operate local TV broadcasting infrastructure, on the launch of Local TV, the brand that will be the public face of the UK’s local television service.

The team has been responsible for assisting Comux every step of the way, advising on all aspects of the successful award of the Ofcom Multiplex Licence including the £25m funding arrangement in place between Comux and the BBC, all necessary commercial arrangements, the incorporation of Comux and the establishment of its corporate structure as well as all regulatory aspects of the project.

The team was led by Charles Russell Partner Vincenzo Lanni with support from Paul Stone, Chris Evans, Elora Mukherjee, Fiona Ball, Unkar Chanian and James Hall, with additional support from Mark Moncreiffe, Bethan Davies and Adam Fotheringham based in the firm’s Geneva office.

Ed Hall, Chief Executive at Comux, said: “Local TV will become a familiar brand over the next year or two, and we fully expect that the local television service will attract a significant audience in the areas that it is available. Ofcom is currently seeking expressions of interest in a second phase of local stations across another 30 locations, and we are looking forward to the launch of the first station this autumn. Today’s launch of the public-facing Local TV brand means that we can now start promoting the service to the public and ensure that it receives the audience it deserves.”

"We are very pleased with the service that we have received from Charles Russell during the launch. It involved specialist legal advice across a number of different workstreams and we received a seamless service throughout. Their extensive media and regulatory team ensured that every element was covered to ensure that all the necessary legalities were in place in time."

Vincenzo Lanni, Lead Partner for the project at Charles Russell commented: "We are proud to support Ed Hall and his colleagues on this unique launch. The various agreements that Comux have entered into mark a key stage in the development of local TV and we are looking forward to the next stage of the process. This marks an important step in the UK media sector as a whole and we are pleased to be a part of it."

Local digital television will see the broadcasting of regional-specific television programmes by regional Ofcom licence holders. The roll-out of local digital television will take place in two phases. London and Manchester are amongst the phase one regions, with areas such as Luton and York being part of the second phase. In total, it is envisaged (at this stage) that the local digital television network will be comprised of over 45 separate regions.