A fledging local TV station covering the UK capital has failed in its bid to drastically cut its output.

Media regulator Ofcom threw out proposals by London Live for what it felt were “significant variations”.

The station, owned by London Evening Standard and Independent publisher Evgeny Lebedev, has already hit rock bottom since its 31 March launch – with a dreaded zero audience rating for some of its shows.

The proposed changes, which have been knocked back, would have seen local programming reduced from 18 hours to eight hours – with peak viewing cut from three to one hour.

London Live’s chief operating officer Tim Kirkman said he was disappointed at the outcome. “I believe the changes would have allowed us to produce an even better product for Londoners,” he added.

The station has now delivered nine consecutive weeks of audience growth – reaching 10pc of Londoners each week.