Government minister calls for review of 'unacceptable' BBC Scotland channel closure

Culture Secretary Màiri McAllan has urged Ofcom to review "wholly unacceptable" plans to close the linear BBC Scotland channel.

The BBC last week announced the dedicated Scotland channel - as well as BBC Three and Radio 4 Extra - would move online as part of measures to make £500m of savings by 2028.

McAllan said moving the channel online would "reverse progress in improving the visibility and representation of Scotland within the UK's broadcasting landscape".

She called on Ofcom, the UK's independent broadcasting regulator, to scrutinise the decision and its implications.

McAllan wrote: "The Scottish government considers the proposed closure of the linear BBC Scotland channel to be wholly unacceptable, and we oppose such a move in the strongest possible terms."

In the letter, to the watchdog's chief executive Melanie Dawes and director for Scotland Glenn Preston, McAllan said she understood that broadcasters must adapt to evolve with audience habits.

But she added public service broadcasters had a "unique responsibility to ensure their services remain accessible and relevant".

McAllan continued: "Closure of the linear channel would also be impossible to reconcile with a supposed ambition to move power and decision-making away from London and towards audiences across the UK who are paying for the service.

"Many viewers continue to rely on linear television services, and any move away from those services risks disproportionately affecting audiences who are less likely to access content through online platforms."

The culture secretary added that plans to close the nightly News at Seven programme would be a "totally unacceptable reduction in nationally relevant journalism".

The closure of the programme is expected to see about 10 posts cut in addition to the 60 BBC Scotland announced earlier this year.

McAllan also called out a "disparity in indigenous language broadcasting" and highlighted the "total absence" of Commonwealth Games coverage on BBC One Scotland.

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.

Shows include Scotland's Home of the Year, Murder Case, Inside Barlinnie, the Scottish Cup Final and Hogmanay.

The current plans won't see any changes to BBC Scotland's main news programme Reporting Scotland, which is shown on BBC One or the broadcasters radio or online services.

After the announcement, Director of BBC Scotland, Hayley Valentine said more cuts could be on the way.

The BBC previously announced it would cut between 1,800 and 2,000 - almost one in 10 jobs - as part of measures to make £500m savings in the next two years.

In June, 550 job cuts were announced in news, nations and TV and radio content as part of its first stage of cuts.

In recent months, the BBC announced a series of closures of programmes including Blankety Blank, Celebrity Mastermind, Live At The Apollo and Football Focus.

Cuts to radio programmes have also been announced.

The broadcaster, which has about 21,500 full time employees, gets most of its income from the licence fee, but the number of TV licences sold has been declining in recent years.

An Ofcom spokesperson said: "While decisions about closing a service are a matter for the BBC Board, Ofcom's role is to hold the BBC to account for delivering its mission and public purposes.

"We will be engaging with the BBC to understand how it plans to serve audiences across the UK in light of its proposed changes and will respond to the cabinet secretary in due course."

As a public service broadcaster, the BBC's mission is "to act in the public interest, serving all audiences through the provision of impartial, high-quality and distinctive output and services which inform, educate and entertain".