[7] In 2003, reports emerged that, as part of the plans for the renewal of its royal charter, the BBC was considering moving whole channels or strands of production from London to Manchester and closing Pebble Mill in Birmingham.

[13] The site at Salford Quays was chosen in June 2006, and the move north was conditional on a satisfactory licence fee settlement from the government.

[20][21] In January 2011, Peel Media received planning permission to convert on-site offices used by Bovis Lend Lease during the construction of the first phase into the Greenhouse.

[23] The half-hour test show featured a power failure and a fire drill, which involved a full evacuation of the audience and crew.

[23] The first programme filmed at Dock10 in MediaCityUK was Don't Scare the Hare in February 2011, and the first to transfer was A Question of Sport, the same month.

[25][26] In January 2012, the BBC was accused of not supporting the community by the area's local MP, Hazel Blears, after it was reported that only 26 of 680 jobs created at the development had gone to residents of Salford.

The opening swing footbridge at Salford Quays links MediaCityUK with Trafford Wharf on the southern bank of the ship canal.

Its visibility is created by a curved bridge deck with an offset pivot mast and array of supporting cables in a fan or sail shape.

[51] The development is powered by a trigeneration energy plant producing electricity for cooling and heating using water from the ship canal.

[30] The communications network is one of the most advanced in the world, with more than 20 million metres of fibre-optic cable capable of delivering the internet speeds required for media production.

[56][57] Owen Hatherley writing in The Guardian also criticised the development, describing it as "an enclave, easily closed off from the life of the rest of the city".

The number employed in media within one mile of MediaCityUK was static over the five years, as cuts in output offset new job growth (and the coverage of the 2012 London Olympics was a peak for BBC Sport).

However, the economic impact outside Salford was greater, with the creation of 4,420 new jobs for existing businesses in the wider city region.

[33][34] ITV Granada was interested in relocating but negotiations with the developers, Peel Media, were abandoned in 2009 amid a financial dispute.

[67] After a change of management at ITV Granada, talks resumed in January 2010[68] and in December the decision to move to MediaCityUK was announced.

[69] A production facility was constructed on Trafford Wharf to house the Coronation Street sets that transferred from Granada Studios in 2013.

[75][76][77][78] In October 2018, SIS LIVE was taken over by NEP Group, who rebranded the firm to 'NEP Connect' and have continued to operate their facilities at MediaCityUK.

[89] The MediaCityUK tram stop opened on 20 September 2010,[90] part of the Metrolink light-rail system serving Greater Manchester.

It lies at the end of a 360-metre (0.22 mi) spur from the Eccles Line, which was built as part of Phase 3 of the Metrolink expansion project.

Across the Media City Footbridge, the "Trafford Park Line" Metrolink extension, completed in March 2020, has a stop at the adjacent Imperial War Museum.

[92] A number of lower frequency routes are operated by Diamond Bus North West linking Boothstown, Worsley and Stretford with the site.

Footpaths and cycleways to Manchester city centre and 300 cycle racks encourage healthy and green ways of accessing the site.