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BBC plans biggest investment in Scotland for 20 years

BBC Scotland will begin broadcasting in autumn 2018

The BBC has announced plans to launch a new channel in Scotland.

BBC Scotland will begin broadcasting in autumn 2018. The corporation says it will invest £19 million in the channel and digital developments.

The channel will have an initial budget of £30 million, equivalent to the amount spent on BBC4. It will also begin broadcasting at 7pm each evening.

BBC director general Tony Hall described the plan as the biggest single investment in broadcast content in Scotland for more than 20 years.

“We know that viewers in Scotland love BBC TV, but we also know that they want us to better reflect their lives and better reflect modern Scotland,” said Hall.

“It is vital that we get this right. The best way of achieving that is a dedicated channel for Scotland. It’s a channel that will be bold, creative and ambitious, with a brand-new Scotland-edited international news programme at its heart.

“The BBC has the luxury of having first-class creative teams and brilliant journalists, who I know will make this new channel a huge success.”

The proposals will be subject to approval by the BBC’s new unitary board and, if necessary, Ofcom.