STV Studios (previously STV Productions, SMG Productions, and originally known as Scottish Television Enterprises) is the television production arm of the

STV Group plc STV Group plc (formerly known as Scottish Television plc, Scottish Media Group plc and SMG plc) is a media company based in Glasgow, Scotland. Beginning as a television broadcaster in 1957, the company expanded into newspapers, advertising and r ...

. Headquartered in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

, Scotland, and with an office in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, England, the company's output includes drama, factual and entertainment programming for broadcast on television stations worldwide. A key programming supplier to the television industry in the United Kingdom, STV Studios' output is aired on all UK terrestrial networks as well as major satellite and cable stations.

Company details

Founded in 1957 by Canadian newspaper magnate Roy Thomson, Scottish Television Enterprises was the main content provider for the group's flagship ITV franchise STV. In the 1960s, its productions were often criticised for perceived low quality, with its parent company almost losing the ITV franchise as a result. By the 1970s, fortunes had improved and Scottish Television Enterprises had hopes of becoming a major content provider for the mooted ITV2 station that was being considered by the ITA, however, this never came to fruition and the resulting economic environment caused the company to experience very lean years. The opening of the new

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...

provided an opportunity for Scottish Television to produce nationally networked programmes, and they became a major provider of the religious content that Channel 4 was mandated to show. The main ITV network also began showing ''

Take the High Road ''Take the High Road'' (renamed ''High Road'' from 1994 to 2003) was a Scottish soap opera produced by Scottish Television, which started in February 1980 as an ITV network daytime programme, and was broadcast until 2003. It was set in the ficti ...

'' nationally, and in 1983, STV would produce one of its most well-known programmes, ''

Taggart ''Taggart'' is a Scottish detective fiction television programme created by Glenn Chandler, who wrote many of the episodes, and made by STV Studios for the ITV network. It originally ran as the miniseries "Killer" from 6 until 20 Septembe ...

''. In February 2019, STV Productions and Primal Media announced a two year deal.

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1957 establishments in Scotland Companies based in Glasgow British companies established in 1957 Mass media companies established in 1957 STV Group Television in Scotland Television production companies of the United Kingdom