|
STV Group PLC on Monday said UK regulator Ofcom has approved its request to consolidate regional news programming, drawing criticism from industry groups. Shares in the Glasgow-based broadcaster traded flat at 104.50 pence on Monday morning in London. STV in December applied for an amendment to its Channel 3 licences, which relate to the company’s flagship STV News at 6 programme. Seeking to respond to ‘changes in the way audiences consume news’, STV had looked to cut regionalised versions of News at 6 for the Central and North licensing zones, and replace them with a single version from Glasgow with sections for regional news. Ofcom had challenged STV’s initial request for ‘unrestricted sharing of regional news between the North and Central Scotland at all times’ leading the company to revise its demands. The new, approved proposal sees up to 70% of regional news content shared between the North and Central areas during peak time, and off-peak content fully shared. This means STV will produce two versions of News at 6, including a shared section broadcast by both licences, plus region-specific sections that must account for at least 30% of the programming. ‘Newsgathering resources will remain on the ground at all existing sites in Inverness, Aberdeen, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Dundee as well as Holyrood and Westminster,’ STV stressed. ‘We’re incredibly proud of STV News at 6, which remains Scotland’s most watched news programme, but like all public service media companies, we must respond to the significant shift in audience behaviour,’ said STV Chief Executive Rufus Radcliffe. ‘The changes Ofcom has approved to our licences will enable us to continue serving viewers with the high-quality, trusted national and regional news they expect from us. ‘Crucially, this will be sustainable for our business and will be accessible on air and across all the digital platforms viewers now expect.’ Ofcom noted: ‘In reaching our decision, we recognise that public service broadcasters like STV face existential challenges. ‘Viewers and listeners increasingly consume content online, there is intense competition for audiences from streamers and other platforms, and falling advertising revenues mean business models are under pressure.’ The regulator maintained that it will ‘hold [STV] to account on behalf of the public’. The National Union of Journalists had campaigned against STV’s proposal. Nick McGowan-Lowe, NUJ Scotland’s national organiser, said: ‘Ofcom’s remit is to act in the interests of viewers, yet today it has rubber-stamped plans that were supported by only 4% of viewers in the north and north-east of Scotland.’ ‘This is the weakest of decisions in the face of the strongest of opposition from viewers, politicians and STV’s own journalists.’ Russell Borthwick, chief executive at Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce, added: ‘Ofcom’s decision is deeply disappointing and flies in the face of overwhelming public opinion across northern Scotland.’ Copyright 2026 Alliance News Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
|
