An ongoing partnership between PRONI, Northern Ireland Screen and ITV is working to preserve the UTV archive and encourage public engagement with it. Ongoing digitisation projects are making more and more content from this significant moving image archive available to the public.
Access to digitised material from the UTV archive
The first point of access to digitised UTV content is Northern Ireland Screen’s Digital Film Archive (DFA). Much of the UTV content on the DFA can be accessed anywhere with an internet connection. New content is added to the DFA on a regular basis when material is digitised and catalogued.
Access to material that has not yet been digitised
If you want to enquire about material within the UTV archive that is not yet available on the DFA, you can contact PRONI by email or letter (details below). Complete a request form providing as much information about your request as possible.
Address:
Public Record Office of Northern Ireland
2 Titanic Boulevard
Titanic Quarter
Belfast
BT3 9HQ- Email: access@communities-ni.gov.uk
Processing your request
We will contact you to let you know what material within the UTV archive of relevance to your request has already been digitised. We will also explain how you can access that material. It may take time to investigate your request but we will keep you updated on progress.
Please note that public access to unbroadcast UTV news and programming is not permitted unless permission is secured from UTV.
If digitised broadcast material from the UTV archive is not yet available on the DFA we will let you know if it possible to view the digitised material in the PRONI Reading Room.
If you are visiting PRONI for the first time, you need to register as a PRONI reader. See the registration section of the website for further information.
At present, PRONI is unable to facilitate access to UTV material that has not been digitised.
Costs
There is no charge to view digitised broadcast material from the UTV archive and much of this material is already freely available on the DFA.
However, most of the UTV collection held at PRONI has not yet been transferred to a digital file or reference tape. Any requests in relation to broadcast material that has not yet been digitised will be forwarded to UTV who will advise you whether it is possible to digitise the material and, if so, what the costs are for this service.
If you wish to request a copy of an item
from the UTV archive, PRONI will forward your request to UTV who will advise you of copying costs. Please note that there is no lending or copying facility available at PRONI in relation to digitised materials from the UTV archive.
Academic researchers
All academic researchers must provide a written submission from their educational organisation in order for their access requests to be considered.
Production companies and professional researchers
Any commercial requests for access to UTV material must be sent directly to ITV. You can contact ITV at clipsales@itv.com for further information.
Use of material from the UTV archive
ITV holds the copyright for the material within the UTV archive. If you wish to quote from, reference or reproduce material from within the UTV archive in print, online or through any other means, you must first contact PRONI for permission (email access@communities-ni.gov.uk) PRONI will contact ITV on your behalf and notify you of their decision in relation to your request.