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- 24th January - The Independent Broadcasting Authority advertised new ITV contracts to run from 1982 to 1989.
- 9th May - Closing date for applications. In total 43 had been received for 16 franchises including the TVS bid.
- 28th December - The IBA announce the franchise awards. Southern Television loose out to TVS.
- 12 months of hard work follow as TVS prepares to grow from 18 members to a full sized ITV company.
- TVS agree to take on Southern's facilities in Southampton and a plot of land in Maidstone where the company plans to build a new studio complex.
- Filming on the first productions begins including documentaries The shape of Things to Come, The Spice of Life and children's drama The Haunting of Cassie Palmer which itself is being filmed for a documentary to be shown on the first night.
- 1st January, 9:25am - Television South begin broadcasting for the first time. The station devotes the first 30 minutes to introducing itself in the programme Bring In The New.
- The first voice to be heard on the station was that of chief announcer Malcolm Brown, the first face belonged to Coast to Coast presenter Khalid Aziz.
- In the evening a documentary called Birth of a Station charts the work that went into getting the station on air.
- By the Autumn work on TVS' new studio complex at Vinters Park in Maidstone was completed.
- Coast to Coast (South East) wins RTS Best News and Current Affairs Programme.
- Saturday Morning Children's programme No. 73 was networked having previously only been broadcast to TVS viewers.
- Ultra Quiz became the biggest quiz on British TV, hosted by Michael Aspel, 2000 contestants were whittled down to the lucky winner who won a massive (for the time) £10,000.
- Coast to Coast (South East) wins RTS Best News and Current Affairs Programme.
- TVS managing director, James Gatward wanted the company to gain 'sixth major' status which would see the company have more input into the ITV network. The IBA said that it would mean that all ITV contracts would have to be redrawn and immediatley dismissed the idea.
- Greg Dyke joined the company as Director of Programmes having previously been Editor in chief at TV-am.
- An agreement between TVS and LWT, who needed to fill their weekend network schedule was reached. Enabling TVS a certain amount of network hours at the weekend. As a result TVS began to produce more entertainment 'LWT-style' programming for the weekend schedule.
- One of the first programmes as part of the deal was C.A.T.S. Eyes - a spin off from LWT's Gentle Touch.
- TVS continue to expand into light entertainment programming with programmes such as the popular Catchphrase and Bobby Davro on the Box.
- The first of the Summertime Special programmes went into production which saw TVS produce more network programming than any other regional (non-major) ITV company.
- Greg Dyke becomes an executive director of TVS.
- The station is given a brand new on-screen image with new computer generated logos and graphics which brought TVS presentation up-to-date.
- The news output also got a new look as the whole operation expanded to provide better coverage for the whole region throughout the week, the weekend and with the launch of daytime TV later in the decade daytime news updates were introduced for the first time.
- In an attempt to convince the IBA that TVS was worthy of 'sixth major' status TVS purchases MTM Enterprises, the US production company founded by Mary Tyler-Moore. The two companies had worked on several co-productions prior to the purchase.
- By this time TVS' wish to become the 'sixth major' company on the ITV network had attracted the attention of politicians, which eventually resulted in the 1990 Broadcasting Act coming into effect.
- Following the acquisition of MTM, the firm restructures, TVS Entertainment becomes the parent company.
- As a result of the restructuring the original ITV operation becomes clumsily-known as TVS Television. As well as a name change the on-screen image is refreshed with the designs from 1987 polished off and brought up to date.
- The purchase of MTM proved to be a costly mistake - the company's library was strong but consisted of hour-long programming at a time when US TV networks were seeking half-hour programme blocks. TVS' share price began to fall as a result.
- The IBA was formally replaced by the ITC as a shake-up of the ITV system loomed as a result of TVS' earlier attempts to become a sixth major company. The 1990 broadcasting act resulted in the biggest shake-up the ITV system would ever see.
- TVS like most other existing ITV companies began to show the channels assets from the past and plans for the future. A late night edition of Coast to Coast after News at Ten was piloted which would be a pivotal part of TVS' news commitment when they submitted their application for their ITV licence the following year.
- May 15th - all bids for the new 'Channel 3' licences were submitted to the ITC.
- October 16th - A fax arrives from the Independent Television Commission, they did not win the licence and were now left to contemplate what to do next.
- TVS failed to secure a judicial review of the decision and began to liquidate some parts of the company.
- 1992 was a quiet year for production as the company sought to conserve its funds. Towards the end of the year several productions were made reflecting upon a decade on the ITV network.
- December 31st - The final programme Goodbye to All That presented by Fred Dinenage and Fern Britton took one last look through the TVS archive. TVS closed by thanking its viewers for watching before linking into Big Ben - after eleven years TVS ceased to be an ITV company.
- TVS face the future as an independent broadcaster but are quickly snapped up by Family Channel. Some TVS programming is aired on the channel and Family Catchphrase is produced using the original TVS title sequence.
- Scottish Television take over Art Attack (produced by Media Merchants) and How 2 and both continue to be produced at the Maidstone Studios. Country Ways also continues on Meridian, produced by Country Wide Films - one of the independent companies set up towards the end of the franchise period.
- The Family Channel becomes known as Challenge TV. TVS programmes remain a key part of the schedule with Catchphrase and All Clued Up being key.
- Vanessa Hill and Ged Allen who produced and directed saturday morning show, Motormouth set up The Foundation who produce continuity links for Challenge TV at the Maidstone Studios.
- After a chance encounter with some tourists George Baker, star of The Ruth Rendell Mysteries discovers that the TVS programmes have been sold around the world without the actors getting any royalty money. Eventually, with the help of equity the issue is resolved and royalty money is paid out to the cast involved. The final TV adapatation was also made and broadcast in this year.
- The TVS Television name had passed to Flextech Television, merely as the name of the company that owned the Maidstone Studios. The studios were sold to a group of businessmen including Martin Jackson - one of the founding members of TVS.
- Meridian TV leave the Northam Studios in Southampton, the news operation for the South East moves back into the former TVS Maidstone Studios although the programme is presented from Whitely in Hampshire.
- Former TVS programmes Art Attack and How 2 cease production for good as ITV stops commissioning UK produced Children's TV. Country Ways however, continues in production and is now produced for ITV West, ITV Westcountry and ITV Meridian.
- Most of TVS' archive programmes have never been aired since the early 90s. After change ownership a lot of the network programming has ended up in the hands of Disney. The exact records of who owns what and what is where are not in great order. However, The Ruth Rendell Mysteries begin airing on ITV3, complete with TVS branding.
- The Television South company name, the logo and branding is registered by Keith Jacobsen. The company has no direct relation to the former ITV broadcaster, but shows respect for the history of ITV - the first production provides a look at the history of the former ATV Studios - Give My Regards to Broad Street.
- During a run of programmes called The Big Match Revisited on ITV4 an edition of TVS' The Saturday Match is broadcast, complete with TVS ident and 1983 vintage Fred Dinenage.
- 50 years after Southern Television started broadcasting, demolotion work on the former Northam Studios site in Southampton finally begins.
- ITV are allowed to reduce regional programme to just half an hour a week, spelling the end of Country Ways one of the longest running regional series ever and brings to an end the legacy of TVS programmes that out lived the company itself.
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