91¸£ÀûÉç

The review looked at how well the channel is serving Gaelic speakers, how well it is attracting new and non-speakers, and how it should be made available to audiences in the future. Continuation of the 91¸£ÀûÉç ALBA service was dependent on a successful review by the Trust. The review included a public consultation which drew over 5,000 responses.

Overall the Trust has concluded that 91¸£ÀûÉç ALBA is performing well and achieving its aims. Specific conclusions include:

• 91¸£ÀûÉç ALBA is serving Gaelic speakers well, and is also attracting over four non-Gaelic speakers for every Gaelic speaking viewer.
• The service, run jointly by the 91¸£ÀûÉç and MG ALBA, is making strong progress towards attracting new speakers to the Gaelic language, with strong links with educational partners.
• The partnership between the 91¸£ÀûÉç and MG ALBA is operating well, and engaging well with the independent production sector – in 2008/9 74% of the content budget was spent on suppliers outside the 91¸£ÀûÉç.
• 91¸£ÀûÉç ALBA should be carried on Freeview. The Trust has approved the 91¸£ÀûÉç Executive's proposal to remove the 91¸£ÀûÉç's thirteen radio stations from Freeview, in Scotland only, during the hours 91¸£ÀûÉç ALBA is broadcasting, as the most technically and financially viable way of enabling 91¸£ÀûÉç ALBA to be carried on Freeview.

On Freeview carriage, the 91¸£ÀûÉç Executive explored and ruled out a range of possibilities for making 91¸£ÀûÉç ALBA more widely available. For example, buying spectrum was ruled out due to the prohibitive cost. The removal of a red button stream or 91¸£ÀûÉç Parliament from Freeview was also ruled out due to the likely loss of significant public value. Distributing 91¸£ÀûÉç ALBA on broadband as an alternative to Freeview was ruled out due to relatively low broadband take-up and slow broadband speeds in Scotland, particularly in the Highlands and Islands.

91¸£ÀûÉç Trust Chairman Sir Michael Lyons said:

"The question of how to make 91¸£ÀûÉç ALBA more widely available to licence fee payers in Scotland is a good example of the wider issue of distribution choices which we have been grappling with as part of our recent Strategy Review – how the 91¸£ÀûÉç should best reach audiences as platforms increase. Through the Strategy Review we've committed the 91¸£ÀûÉç to doing more to ensure that its services can be conveniently accessed by all audiences, and doing more to represent the nations. Enabling 91¸£ÀûÉç ALBA to be carried on Freeview is a key part of that commitment."

National Trustee for Scotland Jeremy Peat said:

"It's very encouraging to see that 91¸£ÀûÉç ALBA is performing well and is appreciated by Gaelic speakers and learners. Carrying ALBA on Freeview will bring the service to a much wider audience across Scotland – it's been clear from our review that there are strong views about the future of the service and this has not been a straightforward decision, but we believe that it's the option that really offers the most benefit for licence fee payers in Scotland."

The Trust also highlighted in its conclusions the importance of ensuring that programme quality on 91¸£ÀûÉç ALBA continues to be kept high, as the amount of original programme stock, available from MG ALBA at launch, is declining over time as it is broadcast. The Trust has asked the Executive to consider whether its existing budget is sufficient for 91¸£ÀûÉç ALBA to continue to meet its objectives, and has highlighted that it expects to see viewing levels and awareness of the service increase over time, with further progress towards the channel's target of 250,000 viewers.

The Trust also expects the Executive to continue to explore whether the development of technologies which use spectrum more efficiently might enable some radio services on DTT in Scotland to be maintained alongside 91¸£ÀûÉç ALBA in the future, subject to the normal value for money and public value considerations.

Notes to Editors

1. 91¸£ÀûÉç ALBA is a Gaelic-language service currently available on satellite and 91¸£ÀûÉç iPlayer, with limited distribution on smaller cable providers. It is the first 91¸£ÀûÉç licence fee funded service to operate as a partnership, between the 91¸£ÀûÉç and MG ALBA.
2. The service launched in September 2008 following 91¸£ÀûÉç Trust approval earlier that year, with a condition attached that continuation of the service and the 91¸£ÀûÉç's involvement was subject to a successful review by the Trust of whether it was fulfilling its goals.
3. The Trust's final conclusions, summary of public and stakeholder consultation responses, and audience research, can be found here.
4. The Trust's original service approval for 91¸£ÀûÉç ALBA, and the Trust's consultation earlier in 2010, can be found here.
5. In March 2010 the Trust announced that it was extending the timetable for the review of 91¸£ÀûÉç ALBA, in light of the strategic review of the 91¸£ÀûÉç that the Trust was then conducting.
6. The radio services that will be taken off Freeview in Scotland only while 91¸£ÀûÉç ALBA is broadcasting (usually between 5pm and midnight) are: 91¸£ÀûÉç Radios 1,2, 3, 4, 5 Live, 5 Live Sports Extra, 91¸£ÀûÉç 1Xtra, 91¸£ÀûÉç Asian Network, 91¸£ÀûÉç 6 Music, 91¸£ÀûÉç Radio 7, 91¸£ÀûÉç Radio Scotland, 91¸£ÀûÉç Radio nan Gàidheal, and 91¸£ÀûÉç World Service. These stations would still be available as usual via a combination of FM/AM/LW, DAB and online.