SCOTLAND'S Culture Secretary has urged broadcasters to bring more productions north of the Border.
After meetings with the BBC, Channel 4 and regulator Ofcom this week, Angus Robertson has pushed for more investment in Scotland as the country’s screen industry continues to grow and plans to be worth £1 billion by the end of the decade.
It emerged earlier this month that the BBC meets its Scotland TV quota using mostly London-based production companies.
A report from Oliver & Ohlbaum Associates Ltd (O&O), commissioned by Screen Scotland, revealed much of the BBC’s “Scottish” network quota has been commissioned from London and produced by London-headquartered production companies via Scottish branch offices.
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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.
Speaking after the meeting, Robertson (below) said: “In recent years, public service broadcasters have made good progress on their commitments to improve their presence and representation outside of London, including the opening of Channel 4’s creative hub in Glasgow in 2019 and the commissioning of programmes like Granite Harbour, set in Aberdeen.
“The spirit of production quotas should be fully embraced to ensure a strong, sustainable future for broadcasting in Scotland.”
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Robertson also said he was “disappointed” in the decision of Ofcom to require Channel 4 to produce 12% of its hours outside of London – rising from 9% – in its public service licence renewal announced last month.
The media regulator announced a new 10-year public service broadcast licence for Channel 4 last month, which it claimed was “supporting its digital growth and securing public service broadcasting on the channel”.
If the out-of-England quota was to reflect population share across the UK, it would be 16%, not 12%.
Calls for Ofcom to impose the 16% figure were near universal from the devolved nations while the proposals were open for consultation.
“All parties, including public service broadcasters, Ofcom, governments and screen agencies, like Screen Scotland, must work in partnership so that investment benefits all nations fairly and supports the growth of creative industries across the UK,” Robertson said.
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