RT Launches Dedicated UK News Channel

LONDON, OCTOBER 28, 2014 – Global news network RT announces RT UK to go live on Thursday, October 30, 2014.

Global news network RT announces today the official launch of its dedicated United Kingdom news channel, RT UK. RT UK will air both live and pre-recorded original programming to UK audiences from October 30, 2014, and will be available to more than 90% of UK households via Freeview (Channel 135) and Sky (Channel 512).

Broadcasting from its new London studios at Millbank, RT UK will cover local, regional and national UK stories, focusing on the issues that matter most to Britons. Equally, as part of the network that looks at broad spectrum of global news, it will dissect the implications of major international developments for UK audiences – in line with RT’s core mission to Question More.  

“It has always been RT’s goal to bring new perspectives to our viewers – to show them the side of the story they won’t see on the mainstream channels,” said Margarita Simonyan, RT’s Editor in Chief. “Now, with a dedicated UK channel, we can serve the needs and interests of the British public by promoting debate and new ways of thinking about specifically British issues.”

RT UK will feature an extensive array of broadcasting talent, including award-winning news anchor Bill Dod, internationally recognised financial commentator Max Keiser, and investigative talk show host Afshin Rattansi, amongst others.

RT UK is a 24/7 channel, initially broadcasting 5 hours of dedicated UK programming each day including live news, documentaries and chat-shows. This programming will be supplemented by content supplied from other RT channels, including the flagship RT International.

First launching in December 2005, the RT network now consists of three global news channels broadcasting in English, Spanish and Arabic. RT UK’s sister channel, RT America, broadcasts from a Washington, DC studio and the network also houses documentary channel RTDoc – broadcasting in English and Russian. RT’s video agency RUPTLY delivers broadcast-quality news footage from all the global hotspots. Today RT has a global reach of more than 700 million people in over 100 countries.

Jessika Walsten

Jessika is an analyst for TVREV and Fabric Media. She previously served in various roles at Broadcasting + Cable, Multichannel News and NextTV, working with the brands since 2013. A graduate of USC Annenberg, Jessika has edited and reported on a variety of subjects in the media and entertainment space, including profiles on industry leaders and breaking news.