What is the future for Scottish public broadcasting? UK Government Minister gives evidence

• Parliament TV: watch the session
• Inquiry: Public broadcasting in Scotland
• Scottish Affairs Committee

The time spent watching broadcast television in Scotland is the most of any UK nation, despite a slight decrease in 2021 compared with 2020. Meanwhile, 69% of households in Scotland subscribed to at least one subscription video-on-demand service in early 2022, with Netflix, Amazon Prime and Disney+ all being popular services. The UK Government set out its vision for the broadcasting sector in a White Paper in April 2022, and is due to bring forward a Media Bill to implement many of the White Paper’s proposals.

This evidence session, marking the final evidence session examining ‘Public broadcasting in Scotland’, will offer MPs the opportunity to quiz the Minister on evidence they have heard from witnesses throughout the inquiry. Issues that are likely to be discussed include:

• The UK Government’s engagement with the Scottish Government on broadcasting policy;
• The implications for Scotland of the announcement earlier this month that Channel 4 will remain publicly owned;
• The UK Government’s Mid-Term Review of the BBC and its potential impact in Scotland;
• How public broadcasting can contribute to levelling up in Scotland;
• The impact of streaming services on Scottish public service broadcasting and TV/film production in Scotland.

Witnesses

Monday 23 January.

From 15.00:

• Julia Lopez MP, Minister of State for Media, Data and Digital Infrastructure, Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS)
• Robert Specterman-Green, Director, Media and Creative Industries, DCMS

Further information

• About Parliament: Select committees
• Visiting Parliament: Watch committees

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