SBLTV makes awards shortlist

Shropshire Business Live TV, a collaboration between three local media companies, has been shortlisted for a top award.

It has been named as a finalist in the Midlands round of the StartUp Awards National Series, which recognises the booming start-up scene across the UK since the pandemic began.

Shropshire Business Live TV (SBLTV) is one of five companies shortlisted in the Creative Start-Up category for the Midlands finals, to be held in Birmingham on June 16.

There was stiff competition, with over 2,500 applications received in response to the StartUp Awards National Series’ first-ever call for entries.

SBLTV is a ground-breaking business broadcast venture, which is a collaboration between Shropshire Business magazine, Shropshire Live, and Yarrington.

The monthly business-to-business show is live streamed from studios in Shrewsbury every month, and has seen audiences grow steadily since its launch in September 2020. It is now mid-way through its second series.

Carl Jones, editor of Shropshire Business magazine and one of the SBLTV producers and presenters, said: “It’s wonderful to receive recognition for this collaborative partnership, which has been so well received.

“We set up SBLTV during the depths of the pandemic to help keep Shropshire businesses connected and give them a communications shop window, and are now getting thousands of viewers – not just in the UK, but from overseas too.”

The StartUp Awards are supported nationally by BT, EY, Dell & Intel to ‘celebrate the achievements of the amazing individuals across the UK who have turned an idea into an opportunity and taken the risk to launch a new product or service'.

Professor Dylan Jones-Evans OBE, who created the event, said: “​​New firms are important for generating economic prosperity, employment opportunities and innovation.

“Given the sheer volume of phenomenal start-ups we’ve heard from since then, as well as the huge post-pandemic shift in people’s desires to take their career in a new direction and set up a business against the odds, we felt it was the right time to take the programme nationwide.

“We’ve been blown away by the standard of entries in this first year and truly look forward to crowning the winners in June.”

Pictured: The March edition of Shropshire Business Live TV included the official launch of the Marches Growth Hub’s new Business Boost initiative