ATV was initially launched as ABC (Associated Broadcasting Company) as a weekend franchise in the London area, but a lawsuit filed by ABPC, who owned the ABC Cinema chain (and its film studios, later renamed Elstree Studios) and also had the weekend Midlands/North franchise called ABC Weekend Television, led to the original ABC changing its name on October 8th, 1955 to Associated Television (ATV) to avoid confusion with ABC Weekend TV, which started broadcasting on May 5, 1956.
ATV[]
October 1955–1958[]
Designer:
Unknown
Typography:
Unknown
Launched:
October 8th, 1955
This logo was reportedly drawn in a hurry, so it ended up like this. This variant was used for station identification.
1958–1982[]
This logo was based off the 1955 ABC logo, but with "T" & "V" replacing "B" & "C", respectively.
On August 2, 1968 London Weekend Television took over the London weekend franchise from ATV London and as a result, ATV Midlands was awarded the 7-day contract in the Midlands after ABC Television lost its license for the north of England and the Midlands and had to merge with Rediffusion London to form Thames Television as a condition of ABC getting the London weekday franchise.
