Scottish TV Industry should double following Independence

Primary Author or Creator:
Believe in Scotland
Alternative Published Date
April 2022
Category:
Type of Resource:
Article
Length (Pages, words, minutes etc...)
7 mins
Fast Facts

Scottish TV industry should double following Independence. Independence would boost Scottish broadcasting. 

The UK Government has expressed an intention to sell off Channel 4, and scrap the BBC licence fee, demonstrating its unwillingness to support public service broadcasting.

An Independent Scotland would be in a much stronger position to support public service broadcasting. Broadcasting at present is not a devolved power, and is controlled by Westminster. At the moment, the Scottish Government has no say over how broadcasting is funded, regulated, or supported.

More details

As it stands, selling C4 will not damage Scotland's call for an Independence referendum. C4 is an important engine of Unionist culture, making much specifically 'British' content.

In a poll, 75% of Scots would like to see power over broadcasting move from Westminster to the Scottish Government.

During the 2014 Independence Referendum, protestors protested against BBC bias against the case for Scottish Independence.

In an independent Scotland, the Scottish Government would reassess how public service broadcasting is regulated, funded and supported. 

One suggestion is to replace the licence fee with a universal broadband package. Norway funds, not by licence, but through general taxation. Denmark and France have a Netflix Tax, which is used to invest turnover back into national content. In France, Macron promised to scrap the licence fee without going into details of a replacement. 

Scotland currently possesses a smaller broadcasting base than most EU countries.

The Scottish TV industry has the potential to double following Independence.

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