:''MKTV is also the name of a satellite television channel in the Republic of Macedonia. See MKTV Sat.'' MKTV was a

satellite television Satellite television is a service that delivers television programming to viewers by relaying it from a communications satellite orbiting the Earth directly to the viewer's location. The signals are received via an outdoor parabolic antenna comm ...

channel, based in

Milton Keynes Milton Keynes ( ) is a city and the largest settlement in Buckinghamshire, England, about north-west of London. At the 2021 Census, the population of its urban area was over . The River Great Ouse forms its northern boundary; a tributary ...

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

. The channel was launched on 26 February 2006 and created by businessman Jawad Siddiqui. The channel was broadcast on

Sky The sky is an unobstructed view upward from the surface of the Earth. It includes the atmosphere and outer space. It may also be considered a place between the ground and outer space, thus distinct from outer space. In the field of astronomy, ...

channel 227. Although it would be later shutdown in April, 2007.

Basketball coverage

In late 2006, MKTV signed-up with the

British Basketball League The British Basketball League (BBL) is a men's professional basketball league in Great Britain and represents the highest level of play in the countries. The league is contested by 10 teams from England and Scotland. There are no clubs howeve ...

in a £2.5 million deal. The deal meant that the station would broadcast 40 live games each year as well as marketing and sponsorship rights. However, no funds were ever forthcoming. The station would only broadcast two games - one of these was the 2007 Trophy Final between Newcastle Eagles and

Plymouth Raiders The Plymouth Raiders was a professional basketball team based in Plymouth, England. The team competed in the British Basketball League, the country's premier basketball competition. The club was founded in 1983 through a merger between two lo ...

Station problems

MKTV was heavily criticised by viewers for a number of reasons, including the low quality of the station's few local programmes, heavy usage of repeated import programmes such as '' The Beverly Hillbillies'' and frequent technical difficulties. One such on-air incident saw much of the scheduled programming over two days fail to materialise. The launch of MKTV was delayed several times because of legal action being taken against station owner Jawad Siddiqui. Allegations were also made by staff working for the company and a number of suppliers that they were never paid.

Closure

The channel closed as a local Milton Keynes station on Monday 30 April 2007 although MKTV resumed broadcasting for two periods under different management and airing other programming. The channel has since been closed permanently.

References

{{reflist Television channels in the United Kingdom Defunct television channels in the United Kingdom History of Milton Keynes Television channels and stations established in 2006