The BBC has announced plans to close its controversial Scottish digital TV channel as it seeks to make sweeping cuts of £500million.
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it → announce → 500million
Launched in 2019, the channel will move to BBC iPlayer in Spring next year - although its nightly News at Seven programme will close.
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programme → launch → Seven
The change is expected to see about 10 posts cut in addition to 60 job losses north of the Border announced earlier this year.
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posts → expect → Border
It follows a long-running row over the cost of the channel which critics said aired too many repeats and was dogged by low viewing figures.
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critics → follow → figures
In other changes, the corporation said BBC Three and Radio Four Extra would be moving online.
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BBC → say → changes
Shadow Scottish secretary Harriet Cross said the BBC ‘must provide best value for money that reflects the interests of viewers’.
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that → say → viewers
She added: ‘The onus is now on SNP ministers to actively work with the BBC to ensure Scottish TV production is protected from any further cuts.’
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production → add → cuts
Under the plans, the BBC Scotland channel brand will survive on BBC iPlayer, while Scottish-specific programming will also be carried on BBC One Scotland and a revamped BBC Two Scotland service.
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programming → survive → Scotland
The corporation said viewing habits had changed dramatically, with signed-in BBC iPlayer accounts accessing BBC Scotland content rising by 70 per cent over the last four years and more than one million accounts now accessing BBC Scotland content every week.
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accounts → say → content
The BBC announced plans to close its controversial Scottish digital TV channel as it seeks to make sweeping cuts of £500million
Hayley Valentine, director of BBC Scotland, said the decision had been made against a backdrop of 'significant financial challenges'
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decision → announce → challenges
Announcing the changes, Hayley Valentine, director of BBC Scotland, said: ‘Against the backdrop of significant financial challenges, we must focus our resources where they will have the greatest impact for audiences.
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they → announce → audiences
‘The way audiences watch television continues to change at pace and our data tells us that more people are choosing to watch BBC Scotland content on BBC iPlayer now.
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people → watch → iPlayer
‘By continuing the channel on BBC iPlayer, we can ensure Scottish content thrives in a digital environment, while BBC Two in Scotland, alongside BBC One Scotland, will maintain a strong and distinctive Scottish presence on linear television.’
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BBC → continue → television
She added: ‘It is always sad to see programmes come to an end and I am extremely proud of the News at Seven team and everything they have delivered since launching.
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they → add → team
‘Our teams are highly skilled, and we will continue to evolve our news and current affairs offer to reflect the changing way people consume journalism today.’
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people → continue → journalism
The BBC confirmed that Reporting Scotland: News at Seven, the flagship nightly programme on the channel which was launched last year, will cease when the linear BBC Scotland channel closes.
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channel → confirm → channel
It was presented by Amy Irons, Fiona Stalker and Sarah McMullan and replaced the now-defunct news and current affairs show The Nine.
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It → present → show
BBC Scotland faces an overall savings target of £10million as part of UK cuts of £500million but BBC chiefs insist the money saved by changing delivery of the channel would be ‘relatively small’, with the corporation seeking to protect commissioning budgets as far as possible.
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corporation → face → budgets
The BBC said there is no dedicated BBC Scotland channel workforce because staff involved in commissioning, scheduling, finance and other functions work across television, iPlayer, online, YouTube and radio output.
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staff → say → output
In 2024, the BBC announced that The Nine, the hour-long current affairs and news programme launched alongside the BBC Scotland channel in 2019, would be scrapped.
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Nine → announce → 2019
At the time, the BBC said it wanted to reshape news services, grow digital audiences and invest more heavily in online journalism, podcasts and on-demand content.
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it → say → demand
Scottish Labour culture spokesman Katherine Sangster said: ‘While the move to iPlayer and BBC Two Scotland offers a way to protect Scotland-specific programming, it is vital that the BBC continues to produce content that reflects Scotland’s communities, culture, and priorities.’
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that → say → communities
John Cook, emeritus professor of media at Glasgow Caledonian University, said: ‘To a certain extent, it could have been worse since the BBC promises BBC Scotland will still remain a channel on iPlayer.
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Scotland → say → iPlayer
‘But these announced changes to BBC Scotland, BBC Three and Radio 4 Extra all point in the one direction - a concerted move by the BBC away from traditional broadcasting and towards an embrace of online first.
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changes → announce → first
He said it was a ‘clear marker that the 100-year history of broadcasting upon which the BBC was originally founded is rapidly coming to an end’.
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BBC → say → end
The BBC said a wide range of its programming currently shown on the linear TV channel would be available online or on BBC One or BBC Two in Scotland.
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range → say → Scotland
Shows include Scotland’s Home of the Year, Murder Case, Inside Barlinnie, the Scottish Cup Final and Hogmanay.
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Shows → include → Barlinnie
Culture Secretary Mairi McAllan said moving BBC Scotland online was ‘wholly unacceptable’.
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moving → say → Scotland
She added: ‘This represents a significant blow to our media landscape and is the latest example of a long-standing pattern of BBC underinvestment in Scotland, raising serious questions about the broadcaster’s commitment to Scottish audiences and the creative sector, and its public service obligations to serve all parts of the UK fairly and equitably.
‘I have set this out directly with the BBC Scotland director and will engage with Ofcom to make clear the significant concerns this proposal raises.’
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proposal → add → Ofcom
Last month, new BBC Director General Matt Brittin said given current finances and changing audience habits it ‘may well mean’ some channels and radio stations close so resources can be invested in on-demand services.
Mr Brittin told BBC One’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg that ‘we wouldn’t guarantee any programme or any channel will exist forever’.
The BBC previously announced it would cut between 1,800 and 2,000 - almost one in 10 jobs - as part of measures to make £500million savings in the next two years.
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it → say → years
In June, 550 job cuts were announced in news, nations and TV and radio content as part of its first stage of cuts.
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cuts → announce → cuts
The BBC announced a series of closures of programmes including Blankety Blank, Celebrity Mastermind, Live At The Apollo and Football Focus.
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BBC → announce → Apollo
Cuts to radio programmes have also been announced.
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Cuts → announce → programmes
BBC Three, which is aimed at young audiences and launched hits such as Fleabag, Normal People and Gavin and Stacey, previously moved online in 2016, but was reinstated as a TV channel in 2022.
Radio 4 Extra does air some original programming but its schedule is predominantly made up of archive content - much of which is available on the BBC Sounds app.
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much → aim → app
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