Launch of new TV channel delayed
● Scheduling concerns over Christmas blamed for postponement
The BBC has announced that its dedicated TV channel for Scotland will go live in February next year.
The channel was supposed to launch in the autumn, but the broadcaster has said it decided to delay its first broadcast until next year amid concerns it would be lost in Christmas scheduling.
The BBC Scotland channel will focus on news and current affairs and has been given an annual programming budget of more than £32 million. It will be on air from 7pm until midnight every day.
The BBC’S new Scottish channel will not begin broadcasting until February next year after plans for an autumn launch were delayed, the corporation has announced.
The BBC Scotland channel, which will focus on news and current affairs, was provisionally given the green light by broadcasting regulator Ofcom last month.
It has been given an annual programming budget of more than £32 million and will be on air from 7pm until midnight every day, with a flagship 9pm news show on weeknights.
The new channel was originally supposed to launch this autumn, but the BBC said it had decided to delay its first broadcast until next year amid concerns it would be lost in Christmas scheduling.
In an email to staff, BBC Scotland director Donalda Mackinnon said she was more concerned with getting the channel right rather than launching it as soon as possible.
“In deciding when to launch, we looked at a number of options, including late autumn and around Christmas time, but we concluded that coming on air early in the New Year is the best option for us, audiences and our suppliers,” she wrote.
“We took into consideration programme development and production time and audience trends during holidays – especially around the crowded marketing period at Christmas.
“Getting the channel right is preferable to simply getting it on air as quickly as possible and having some additional time after final approval should be beneficial.”
Ms Mackinnon added that the process of commissioning programmes for the new channel was “well under way”, with pilots for the flagship 9pm news show midway through filming.
Ofcom is due to make a final decision on the future of the channel in July, but last month it gave its preliminary approval, saying it was unlikely to crowd out the BBC’S competition in Scotland.
Although around half of the channel’s output is expected to be repeats, it will also commission new programmes that “reflect Scottish life”, including original comedy and drama.
The new channel is set to take the place currently occupied by BBC Four on viewers’ electronic programme guides, which will be moved to a less prominent slot on guides in Scotland.
Its creation was announced by BBC director-general Lord Hall in February 2017. He described it as the corporation’s “biggest single investment” north of the Border for more than 20 years.
Although a dedicated BBC channel in Scotland has long been supported by the Scottish Government, last year First Minister Nicola Sturgeon questioned whether its £32m budget was large enough.
“Getting the channel right is preferable to simply getting it on air as quickly as possible and having some additional time after final approval should be beneficial”
DONALDA MACKINNON