Amid a recent cuts drive, BBC Scotland, the nation’s BBC television channel, is set to be ended in 2027.
The BBC are aiming to save £500m while giving a new digital focus to their services.
These proposed changes, however, would not apply to BBC One Scotland, BBC Radio Scotland, or the Scottish branch of the broadcasting house.
Set up in 2019, BBC Scotland was created to promote Scottish drama, news, sports, entertainment, and documentaries. A notable highlight of the channel was ‘The Nine’ which ranged from discussing domestic, national, and international news from a Scottish viewpoint.
Replaced in 2025 by ‘Reporting Scotland: News at Seven’, the main headline of the channel will not move onto BBC iPlayer.
Figures from 2024-2025 show that only 12 per cent of Scotland watched the channel on average a week, with 54 per cent consuming news via online services.
Director-General of the BBC, Matt Brittin, said: “We need to make every pound work harder for audiences as we respond to the immediate cost pressures and reinvent the BBC for a changing world. We all know that means tough choices.”
But with over 1m accounts on iPlayer accessing BBC Scotland media content each week and a 70 per cent increase in BBC Scotland accounts on the platform, the channel will likely be a loss for many viewers.
The BBC reported that 10 job posts will be lost as a result of the closure. This does not mean, however, that media coverage with a distinctly Scottish focus will be lost. BBC Alba will still be available; 43 per cent of Scotland watched the channel on average a week between 2024-2025.
BBC Two in Scotland will now aim to focus primarily on Scottish news.
One Edinburgh resident commented: “It seems a shame that they’re removing BBC Scotland … it’s been there for years. However, I do think they [have been] a victim of some dodgy editorial choices for years now.”
The Scottish Greens have also criticised the plans, branding them “a backwards step [that] reflects a wider cultural crisis.”
Mairi McAllan, the SNP Scottish Culture Secretary, disapproved of the move, calling it “wholly unacceptable.”
“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,” she added.
However, cuts are not exclusive to Scotland; the BBC is also expected to scrap various programmes on BBC Radio 4, including You and Yours and Free Thinking, with 60 job cuts already announced this year. “Linear broadcast channels” Radio 4 Extra and BBC Three are also expected to be axed.
The BBC gains much of its income from licence fees. Of the £3,843m gained from licence fees in the UK in 2024-2025, Scotland only constituted £311m.
Nevertheless, MSP Alex Kerr described BBC leaders in London as “overlords.”
He continued: “[this all] serves to underline that through a fresh start with independence we would have the power to properly invest in our broadcasting industry and escape a Westminster system that has no desire to cater for people in Scotland.”
This comment comes after the devolved nations met in Cardiff last month, calling for a move away from Westminster and “closer to people and communities.”
Photo by Marshall W on Unsplash.
