ITV Why Ch3?

BBC1: come along in 1936
ITV : come along in 1955
BBC2: come along in 1964

So who decided that ITV should be pushed down to Ch3? and not channnel2?

should it not have been done in the order there started?

was it just a way of keep ITV further down the peaking order?

I think it's more to do with the case of back then it made more sense. You only had two/three channels to choose from so it didn't really matter where you came. Obviously in today's world it would matter, hence why BBC 3 & 4 end up after ITV 2 on the EPGs
was it just a way of keep ITV further down the peaking order?

Surely the names of the other 2 channels is a giveaway?

Also remember that from the start of colour in 1968 everyone had to start buying new UHF, colour TVs, in the same way that we're now having to convert to digital. The old VHF TVs were mostly manually tuned without presets like we're used to today.

The start date of the channels became meaningless as everything started from square one once UHF TV came about. When UHF sets with presets started to appear in homes it was common sense to put BBC 1 on button 1, BBC 2 on button 2.... according to their names. ITV just went on the next button on - button 3.

Some manufacturers in the late 70's/early 80's labelled buttons on their set: BBC1, BBC2, ITV1, ITV2 in preperation for what became Channel 4 (there were some with BBC3 and ITV3 on them too!)

Once Channel 4 launched ITV as 'channel 3' became even more ingrained in public conciousness

Why not have ITV on Ch2 and the new BBC 3? as that the way it was done?

lets be honest back in the late 50's there was only 2 channels and there were not numbered: in the radio times it just said BBC and ITV where there not?

I dare say some people tuned in ITV to channel1

It was only when 'BBC1' and 'BBC2' started in the 60's and everyone had to buy new TV sets that the 'channel 1 - BBC1', 'channel 2 - BBC2, 'channel 3 - ITV' came into being.

Before this TVs had manual tuning so people knew, say, ITV as 'channel 7' because that's the position it was on on the VHF dial.... just like how you might refer to a radio station on '95.5' these days.

In technical terms there's no such thing as 'channel 3' or 'channel 1' - a channel refers to the frequency on which a transmitter transmits the service. So un your area the service known as 'BBC1' might be broadcast on channel 43 but you will programme it into your TV on preset number 1

so the all the 1950 TV had to get replaced in the 60's I never know that!

you woudl think the tv would be able to operate with more channels?

I seem to recall my granddad's old TV had the follow buttons...
BBC1, BBC2, BBC3, BBC4, ITV1, ITV2, ITV3, and ITV4
...I guess back then manufacturers assumed there would just be 'BBC' and 'Independent Television' (aka ITV) as the two types of TV companies.

it only took them about 50 year to get that stage!

Not quite, prior to 1964 all TV transmissions were 405 line VHF. In 1964 BBC2 launched in 625 lines black and white on new UHF frequencies

In 1968 BBC1,2 and ITV started to transmit in UHF, PAL, 625 lines in colour.

The old VHF 405 line sets continued to work because BBC1 and ITV continued to transmit both systems.... just like these days when the 5 analogue channels also broadcast digitally

In 1984 the last VHF TV transmitter closed down, so anyone who hadn't bought a new TV set lost their TV pictures, although this affected very very few people as they'd has 16 or so years to move to colour sets

did it stop in 84 to help boost the Ch4 signal?

Yes, these were Phillips TVs with 8 presets on. The labelling varied throughout the years - some had 'BBC1, BBC2, ITV1, ITV2' followed by the numbers 5 to 7 and a * for the 'AV' channel,

Others went 'BBC1, BBC2, BBC3, BBC 4' on the top row and 'ITV1, ITV2, ITV3, ITV4' on the bottom.


At the time they didn't know what Channel 4 was to be called and there were no other channels planned so it made sense to label them this way. It was also useful for those in overlap areas who could pick up more than 1 ITV or BBC channel

No, the black and white 405 line channels broadcast on VHF frequencies, Channel 4 launched on UHF alongside the other 3 channels.

The VHF transmitters were gradually closed down over the years.... they were getting old and breaking down and there were fewer and fewer 405 line viewers. There was no connection with channel 4 which used diffrent frequencies and transmitter aerials

The old TV VHF frequencies are now used by DAB radio