From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Arqiva is one of the two main transmitter and broadcast companies in the United Kingdom. Formerly owned by NTL as NTL Broadcast it was sold to a consortium led by Macquarie Bank in 2004.

Arqiva's headquarters are located in Crawley, Hampshire, a village a few miles from the county town (and former capital) of Winchester.

Contents 1 Notable Arqiva transmitting stations 2 History 2.1 Independent Television Authority (ITA) 2.2 Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA) 2.3 ITC, RA and Transcom 2.4 CableTel and NTL 2.5 Macquarie 2.6 Inmedia 2.7 BT Broadcast 3 See also 4 External links

Angus Arfon Belmont Black Hill Caldbeck Caradon Hill

Chillerton Down Croydon Dover Emley Moor Heathfield Lichfield

Moel-y-Parc Preseli Ridge Hill Strabane Winter Hill

The organisation's roots date back to the earliest dates of commercial television (ITV) in the UK. The Television Act 1954 gave birth to the Independent Television Authority (ITA). The ITA appointed and regulated a number regional programme contractors, and built and operated a network of transmitters.

The Sound Broadcasting Act 1972 created legal commercial radio in the UK for the first time. It was modelled on ITV, in that programmes were made by local contractors while the regulator, renamed the Independent Broadcasting Authority, owned the transmitters.

The Broadcasting Act 1990 split the IBA into three bodies. The Independent Television Commission (ITC) regulated commercial TV and the Radio Authority (RA) regulated commercial radio. The IBA's engineering division, which operated the transmitters as well as doing research and development, became a company called National Transcommunications Limited (also known as Transcom).

Transcom was acquired by International CableTel Inc., which subsequently built its brand around the NTL name. It ran up huge debts during the dot-com boom which crippled the company for many years. In 2004, NTL sold its 'broadcast unit' to Macquarie Communications Infrastructure Group.

In January 2005, Macquarie Communications Infrastructure Group renamed its new subsidiary Arqiva.

Arqiva acquired Inmedia Communications from the Carlyle Group for £68.5 million in July 2005 to form the new Satellite Media Solutions business unit. Inmedia was owned by Kingston Communications and known as Kingston inmedia before being bought by the Carlyle Group in 2004.

Arqiva announced the signing of a Sale & Purchase Agreement (SPA) with BT to acquire the full-time service components of BT’s Satellite Broadcast Services business for £25 million in cash in November 2006. The deal will include long-term customer contracts, operations and personnel located in the USA, France, Italy and the Netherlands, as well as the UK. Deal completion is subject to regulatory approval in the UK and Germany.

• National Grid Wireless (Arqiva's main competitor)
• Digital One (A joint venture with GCap Media providing UK DAB)

• Arqiva
• Arqiva Satellite Media Solutions
• Macquarie Communications Infrastructure Group
• NTL
• How to Launch a TV Channel Guide