That's Thames Valley

About That's Thames Valley

Overview

That's Thames Valley is the local television station serving greater Reading, Berkshire, England. Owned and operated by That's TV, it broadcasts on Freeview channel 7 via the Hannington transmitter and on Virgin Media 159, from studios in central Reading. Its website is at thats.tv/thames-valley.

The station launched on 3 May 2017, after Ofcom chose That's TV for the Reading licence in 2014 and granted the licence in March 2017 for the period 10 May 2017 to 25 November 2025. Ofcom estimated the service could reach approximately 170,000 homes in the Reading area.

The licence award

Ofcom, the national broadcasting regulator, invited licence applications for the Reading area in 2013. On 19 June 2014, Ofcom announced the award of local television licences for Guildford, Reading and Salisbury, with That's TV chosen for Reading.

The licence for the service was granted in March 2017, and the station launched on 3 May 2017 from its central Reading studios. The award was part of the government's local television programme, which created a new tier of local TV services across the UK.

The That's TV network

That's TV was founded by Daniel Cass, who set up Ultra Media Limited in late 2011 before renaming it That's Media in 2012. The network began with That's Oxford in 2014 and expanded rapidly, reaching 14 licences by 2018 and 20 of the 34 local channels on air across the UK.

Broadcasting from Salford Quays, the network reaches more than five million homes. Its sister channels include That's Lancashire, That's Manchester, That's Cambridge, That's Norfolk, That's Oxfordshire, That's Solent, That's Surrey, That's Hampshire, That's Cumbria, That's South Yorkshire and That's Salisbury.

Coverage of the Thames Valley

The station serves greater Reading and the Thames Valley, broadcasting via the Hannington transmitter. Reading is one of England's largest towns, a major commercial centre in the Thames Valley with a thriving technology sector, the University of Reading and the annual Reading Festival.

The Thames Valley is among the most prosperous regions of the UK, home to multinational businesses, research institutions and commuter towns along the Great Western main line. The station's news coverage spans Reading's civic life, its business community and the surrounding Berkshire towns.

Programming

That's Thames Valley's schedule follows the network pattern: local news bulletins produced for the Reading area, repeated through the day, alongside classic films and entertainment programming. The news covers Reading Borough Council, West Berkshire and Wokingham affairs, local business, the university and community stories.

The network's investment in licensed archive programming fills the schedules of its channels, and seasonal events such as the That's Christmas rebrand bring festive music and classic drama across the network. The station's local bulletins give Reading a television news service to complement its radio and press. The network's BARB-recorded audience of more than four million viewers in October 2020 demonstrated the growing appetite for its mix of local news and classic entertainment.

Studios in Reading

The station broadcasts from studios in central Reading, placing its newsroom at the heart of the town it serves. The central location gives its journalists access to the civic institutions, businesses and cultural venues that generate the area's news.

Reading's media scene includes BBC Radio Berkshire and the Reading Chronicle, and the television station adds a visual dimension to the town's local media. The studios' town-centre base reflects the local television ideal of a broadcaster embedded in its community. The town's large student population and diverse communities give the station a varied audience to serve.

Distribution: Freeview and Virgin

That's Thames Valley broadcasts on Freeview channel 7, the slot reserved for local television, via the Hannington transmitter that serves the Reading area. It is also carried on Virgin Media on channel 159, giving cable viewers access to the service.

The dual distribution on Freeview and Virgin Media maximises the station's reach within its licensed area, ensuring that viewers with either platform can watch. Ofcom's estimate of 170,000 reachable homes reflects the transmitter's coverage of greater Reading.

The local TV landscape

The UK's local television services were created under the government's local TV programme, with the BBC providing funding for news content. That's TV grew to dominate the sector as rival operators struggled, taking over licences including the former STV2 stations in Scotland in 2018. The programme's vision of a new tier of local broadcasting has been carried forward largely by the That's TV network.

In April 2025 the network took over the Sheffield Live! licence in South Yorkshire and Northern Visions Television in Belfast. Local TV licences have been renewed to run until the end of 2034, with Ofcom setting minimum standards including 60 minutes of non-repeating local news daily.

Reading's media

Reading's media landscape includes BBC Radio Berkshire, the Reading Chronicle and a range of online outlets serving the town and the Thames Valley. The university and the town's large student population contribute to a lively cultural scene. The station's coverage of the university, the football club and the festival gives it deep roots in town life. Since its 2017 launch, the station has become part of Reading's media landscape. Its Freeview channel 7 and Virgin Media 159 services give the town a television voice it never had before. The Thames Valley's viewers have made it part of their daily routine.

That's Thames Valley's television service gives the town a broadcast voice, covering the stories that matter to Reading: its economy, its transport links, its festivals and its football club, Reading FC.

Reading's history

Reading's history stretches back to the Saxon era, but its great age began with the foundation of Reading Abbey in 1121 by Henry I, who was buried before its high altar. The town grew as a coaching and market centre, and the coming of the Great Western Railway in 1840 made it a major railway town.

The town's Victorian industries, Huntley & Palmers biscuits, Suttons Seeds and Simonds Brewery, made Reading famous across Britain. Today the biscuit factory is gone but the town's commercial energy remains, now channelled into technology, insurance and retail, with the Oracle shopping centre and the Thames Valley business parks defining the modern town. The abbey ruins, Forbury Gardens and the annual Reading Festival anchor the town's cultural identity.

The Thames Valley is one of Europe's most productive regions, a corridor of technology companies, research parks and corporate headquarters stretching from Reading to Slough, Maidenhead and Newbury. Global firms in software, pharmaceuticals and telecommunications have major operations in the area.

The region's prosperity is built on its location: forty miles from London, on the Great Western main line and the M4 corridor, with Heathrow airport nearby. The University of Reading adds research strength, and the area's skilled workforce attracts continuing investment. The station's business coverage reflects the Thames Valley's economic importance.

Serving the Thames Valley

Since its 2017 launch, That's Thames Valley has provided greater Reading with a dedicated local television service on Freeview channel 7 and Virgin Media 159. Its central Reading studios and Thames Valley focus give the area's viewers a television outlet of their own.

As part of the UK's largest local television network, the station combines national resources with local journalism, serving Reading and the Thames Valley with news from the heart of one of England's most dynamic regions.