| Summary: | This thesis provides an assessment of the Scottish television broadcasting landscape within a previously unexamined contemporary context. In particular, the work explores the impact of developments that have occurred since the Scottish Broadcasting Commission in 2007. Through a critical realist lens, it does so by using a combination of desk research, elite interviews and an online audience survey to answer the main research questions: how well does the current broadcasting landscape serve the television industry in Scotland; how well does the current broadcasting landscape serve the television audience in Scotland; to what extent is there an appetite for a new television service for Scotland and what type of service might be viable? By mapping the historical, political and economic terrain, the research also analyses the themes and theoretical concepts that underpin the specificity of the experience of Scottish television within the UK context. It demonstrates the way in which these dynamics interrelate creates a curious environment, whereby Scotland’s position in the UK-wide broadcasting framework is perceived to produce both indispensable advantages and debilitating disadvantages. Findings show there is a certainly a perception that the television broadcasting landscape currently falls short in serving both the industry and audience satisfactorily, and a latent demand was found for a supplementary television service for Scotland. This finding is now particularly significant due to the BBC’s recent announcement that a new television channel for Scotland will be launched in the Autumn of 2018.
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