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17 Oct 2008 07:00
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17Β October 2008
Kent TV celebrates first yearΒ
Ten Alps, the factual media company, today celebrates the first birthday of KentΒ TV,Β the firstΒ UKΒ council-fundedΒ internet TV channel, launched in September 2007 by Bob Geldof.
Visits to the Kent TV site (www.kenttv.com) have rapidly increasedΒ over the year, underlining its success and popularity. Over the past three monthsΒ visitsΒ were four times higher than in the first quarter of its operation.
Kent TV provides coverage ofΒ local issues, the arts, business, education, health, leisure, local government, tourism and travel and today launchesΒ 'What's OnΒ inΒ Kent',Β the first online interactiveΒ videoΒ basedΒ listingΒ available onΒ www.kenttv.com/whatson/
Kent TV is unique because it provides:
Genuinely regional and local TV news in an era when broadcasters such as ITVΒ are substantially cutting back
Local news covered differently - Kent TV covers in-depth the smallest story to the largest and gets under the skin of local issuesΒ
User-generated content offering an inclusive platform for engagement byΒ everyone , but particularly popular withΒ the young,Β in local news
'How to films'Β conveyΒ basicΒ information to the peopleΒ on services such as recycling
Particularly popular Kent TV items in the first year included:
'BorisΒ Island' - Mayor Johnson's plan to buildΒ an airport on an artificial island off the coast of the Isle ofΒ Sheppey
FireworksΒ above DoverΒ thatΒ launchedΒ the biggest ever celebration of culture in KentΒ andΒ highlighted Kent's campaign to be the place of entry into the UK for the Olympic torch inΒ 2012
'How to' videos including 'How to spot Norovirus' and 'How to get through Clearing'
User generated films of local free running enthusiastΒ inΒ action inΒ Kent
'By the Way, I'm Gay.'Β Β AΒ film about youngsters coming out at school made by KCC and given to Kent TV
Peter Gilroy, Chief Executive of KCC said:
"We are delighted by the response to Kent TV. One of our primary objectives was for Kent TV to be a community channel. Uploading films offers individuals and community groups the opportunity to get their message across too,Β and this has been especially popular with the younger population, illustrating that this method of communication really is the future."
Alex Connock, CEO of Ten Alps, added::
"Kent TV is a trailblazer - a local authority funded online TV channel. It delivers journalism local enough to be really relevant, and engages younger people in politics and society in the way they respond to - which is online. Plus, with ITV withdrawing from genuinely local TV as fast as it can, Kent TV is filling a major gap. We think many councils could follow Kent's lead."
Contacts
Kent County Council
Tanya OliverΒ
TelephoneΒ :Β 01622 694817
Tanya.Oliver@kent.gov.uk
Ten Alps PlcΒ
Alex Connock, CEO, c/o MoiraΒ McManus
Telephone: 020Β 7878 3211
moira@tenalps.com
www.tenalps.com
PelhamΒ PR
Alex WaltersΒ / Francesca Tuckett
Telephone:Β 0203 008 5509Β / 020 3178 6244
alex.walters@pelhampr.comΒ /Β francesca.tuckett@pelhampr.comΒ
Β
Notes onΒ Kent TV
Kent TV is the internet TV channel for people living and working in Kent.Β Launched in September 2007 by Kent County Council (KCC),Β the channelΒ is operated independently byΒ Ten Alps Digital, part ofΒ media company, Ten Alps.Β
The channelΒ alsoΒ has its own independent boardΒ selectedΒ by KCC, and voluntarily chooses to be monitored byΒ Ofcom.Β
ThereΒ areΒ 1363Β films on Kent TV covering a range of topics of interest to people who live, work, study or visitΒ Kent.
Although Ten Alps produces content for the site, many of the films have been produced by and with local people orΒ organisations.
Kent TV receivedΒ 129,413 visits in September, bringing the total of visits since its launch toΒ 802,940. A visit is counted whenever a web site user requests one or more files from the web server. If the user becomes idle for more than 20 minutes, a new visit is generated when they come back.
Kent TV embeds its films on other sites, and because the Kent TV player has been developed which provides a direct link back to the Home Page, a considerable number of these viewers also click through to Kent TV.
Β
Notes on Ten Alps
Ten Alps Plc is a factual media company - on TV, online and in print.
As a multi-platform producer, it engages with audiences and customers across all media outlets.
Ten Alps has market-leading positions in all its three key areas of output:
On TV it produces forΒ Dispatches, PanoramaΒ andΒ other key factual programmes for Channel 4, the BBC and international broadcasters. One of its companies is preferred supplier for a major five-year government contract to operate theΒ Teachers TVΒ channel.
Online it producesΒ Kent TV, the first fully local authority-funded broadband TV service in the UK, alongside B2B websites and online TV projects, such asΒ Vets TV. It also produces online TV advertising.Β
In Print it is one of the UK's largest contract and specialist publishers, with a growing portfolio of 740 titles across specialist media sectors including finance, environment, public sector and international trade.Β
Ten Alps was founded in 1999 by Alex Connock and Bob Geldof.
It has over 550 staff with main offices in London and Manchester, and smaller offices in Edinburgh and Gateshead.
Ten Alps has had seven consecutive years of growth since listing on AiM in 2001, with turnover rising from Β£2m to Β£81.4m in the financial year to March 31 2008.
During that period, nineteen acquisitions have been made: in factual TV (including leading producers Brook Lapping,Β BlakewayΒ and Films of Record), online (video advertising producer MMA, CSR specialists DBDA) and in print (McMillan Scott, Mongoose, Atalink,Β Camerons, SovereignΒ -Β which now have substantial online portfolios). OneΒ equity funding has been made since 2001.
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