The BBC has confirmed that its dedicated Scotland channel will switch from the TV schedules to iPlayer with a further 10 jobs axed on top of 60 already announced.
The nightly News at Seven programme, which launched only recently following poor audience figures for The Nine, will close.
Changes announced today will see just over 100 roles cut across the UK newsrooms as part of the corporation’s £500m savings programme. This represents about 2.2% of the 4,500-strong division.
Newly-appointed director of BBC News Rachel Jupp announced the move in an internal memo, suggesting the cuts represent savings worth around £5.5m.
Director of BBC Scotland, Hayley Valentine, said: “Against the backdrop of significant financial challenges, we must focus our resources where they will have the greatest impact for audiences.”
A wide range of the Scotland programming currently shown on the linear TV channel would be available online or on BBC One or BBC Two. SPFL Championship matches on Friday evenings will move to BBC Two. Debate Night will continue to be part of the BBC Scotland channel when it moves to iPlayer but will now have a permanent home on BBC One Scotland with an enhanced presence also on social media.
Plans for a dedicated BBC Scotland TV channel were announced in 2017 by then BBC Director General Tony Hall who said it would replace BBC Two Scotland as the main home for Scottish-produced programmes.
It launched in February 2019 with 80 journalism jobs and its flagship news programme The Nine covered Scottish, UK and international stories from a Scottish perspective.
However, dwindling audiences, and scheduling against top dramas on other channels meant it struggled to gain traction.
In other changes, the corporation said BBC Three will once again move online, along with Radio Four Extra.
A spokesperson for National Union of Journalists (NUJ) said it has asked the UK chancellor to intervene urgently to “prevent further damaging cuts” and called on BBC management to find alternative savings.
The spokesperson added: “These are worrying proposals for the future of public service broadcasting in Scotland, and would see fewer journalists producing less news at a time when quality trusted news is needed more than ever.”
Scotland’s Culture Secretary Màiri McAllan said the Scottish government strongly opposed the “wholly unacceptable” proposals.
She added: “This represents a significant blow to our media landscape and is the latest example of a long-standing pattern of BBC underinvestment in Scotland, raising serious questions about the broadcaster’s commitment to Scottish audiences and the creative sector, and its public service obligations to serve all parts of the UK fairly and equitably.”
Last month, new BBC Director General Matt Brittin said given current finances and changing audience habits it “may well mean” some channels and radio stations close so resources can be invested in on-demand services.
The BBC previously announced it would cut between 1,800 and 2,000 – almost one in 10 jobs – as part of measures to make £500m savings in the next two years.
In June, 550 job cuts were announced in news, nations and TV and radio content as part of its first stage of cuts.
In recent months, the BBC announced a series of closures of programmes including Blankety Blank, Celebrity Mastermind, Live At The Apollo and Football Focus. Cuts to radio programmes have also been announced, including You and Yours which will be axed from the Radio Four schedule.
The broadcaster, which has about 21,500 full time employees, gets most of its income from the licence fee, but the number of TV licences sold has been declining in recent years.
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