THE BBC meets its Scotland TV quota using mostly London-based production companies, a new study has revealed.
The report from Oliver & Ohlbaum Associates Ltd (O&O), commissioned by Screen Scotland, reveals much of the BBC’s “Scottish” network quota has been commissioned from London and produced by London-headquartered production companies via Scottish branch offices.
O&O reviewed Ofcom data on projects commissioned by the UK’s public service broadcaster network channels that qualified as “Scottish” between 2014 and 2022.
It found that only five of the Top 15 “Scottish” producers (by hours commissioned) were headquartered in Scotland over the period.
The remaining 10 were headquartered in London, with their output qualifying as Scottish by relying on the Ofcom criterion of having a "substantive base" (branch office) in Scotland.
In fact, 80% of the total episodes made by the Top 15 producers for the BBC were commissioned from London, compared to only 43% of the total episodes commissioned by Channel 4.
The research was commissioned by Screen Scotland ahead of the implementation of the Media Act 2024 and Ofcom’’s upcoming Public Service Media Review.
Screen Scotland expressed concern that, while the BBC is meeting its Ofcom quota, it brings limited economic impact within Scotland by operating in this way.
David Smith, director of Screen Scotland, said: “This research shows that the BBC has, across the last decade, met much of its Scottish volume quota for network TV [meaning national services such as BBC One and BBC Two] via projects bought, sold and owned in London.
“We are concerned that this subverts the purpose of those production quotas, limiting the economic impact of the BBC’s 'Scottish qualifying' commissioning in the Scottish economy, and reducing creative opportunities for Scottish TV sector companies or workers in comparison to projects that originate in Scotland.
"This raises questions around both the BBC’s commissioning priorities, and Ofcom’s current rules for production across the UK.”
Meanwhile, Angus Robertson, Scotland’s Cabinet Secretary for Culture, said: “This report highlights the importance of Scotland-based commissioning to support our screen sector to its fullest potential. Productions set against a Scottish quota should deliver economic impact and creative opportunities for Scotland, and the talented producers and teams that are based here.
“It also illustrates the strength of our television production sector, with an average annual increase of 5.5 percent in commissioning spend since 2010. The Scottish Government will continue to engage with Ofcom and the public service broadcasters to support that growth and ensure that Scottish industry, and audiences, are properly represented on our screens.”
A BBC spokesperson said: "We commission fairly, following the Ofcom guidance, and work with a wide range of brilliant production companies and talent. Our commissioning strategy has been a major driver of the development of the television production sector in Scotland.
"Powered by around £1bn of BBC investment in Scottish production since 2014, we have made programmes loved by audiences, such as Shetland, Vigil, and Guilt. Over that period, the funding has helped the creation of hundreds of jobs and boosted inward investment which has led to overall growth in the sector.
"We’ll continue to provide significant support to our creative partners, increasing the impact of our spend, on and off screen."
