OFCOM has granted approval for BBC Scotland to cut its peak-time TV news output in half.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the media regulator said that the public broadcaster had asked for permission “to reduce the news quota on the BBC Scotland channel by 50% from the current 250 hours in peak time per calendar year to 125 hours”.
Ofcom said it had approved the change, which will see the flagship The Nine news programme axed entirely.
In its place, BBC Scotland is set to bring in a 30-minute news programme, to be shown at 7pm daily on the same channel, which will focus on Scotland-specific news.
The Scottish Government was opposed to the cut in news broadcasts due to concerns that “the quality of news reporting about Scotland and from a Scottish perspective could decline” and that audiences who are “likely to be more reliant on broadcast TV news” could be negatively impacted, according to an Ofcom report.
STV also expressed concerns about how the changes could impact their channel, saying that the proposed 7pm programme would be aimed at the same audiences as their current broadcasting in that slot, and questioned what BBC Scotland would look to fill the primetime 9pm slot with.
However, Ofcom said in a decision notice: “The BBC has said that it plans to provide more news content where audiences want it and are most likely to engage with it. We know from our own and the BBC’s research that audiences in Scotland are increasingly consuming BBC news content online rather than watching it on TV.
“Our view is that the proposal has the potential to ensure the BBC achieves these aims … thereby benefiting audiences in Scotland.”
As well as extending online content, the BBC is set to extend Reporting Scotland to one-hour broadcasts “at multiple times throughout the year”, and create a “new Scotland-focused current affairs podcast series”.
Ofcom said in a statement: “The BBC must be transparent about how it is delivering for audiences in Scotland, and we will hold it to account.
“We expect the BBC to monitor the impact of the changes it has proposed and be ready to continue to adapt as necessary to meet audience needs. We will also monitor performance and will report on it in our Annual Report on the BBC next year.”
A BBC Scotland spokesperson said: “We welcome Ofcom’s decision to approve the proposed change to the BBC’s operating licence for the Scotland channel.
“We will focus on shaping the new offer for audiences over the coming months and share further details in due course.”
The changes come after BBC executive in London announced plans to ask staff to take voluntary redundancy amid a bid to cut 500 jobs and £200 million in costs. The broadcaster had already looked to cut £500m from its budget.
