Â鶹Éç

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 Â鶹Éç 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 Â鶹Éç ALBA is performing well and achieving its aims. Specific conclusions include:

• Â鶹Éç 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 Â鶹Éç 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 Â鶹Éç 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 Â鶹Éç.
• Â鶹Éç ALBA should be carried on Freeview. The Trust has approved the Â鶹Éç Executive's proposal to remove the Â鶹Éç's thirteen radio stations from Freeview, in Scotland only, during the hours Â鶹Éç ALBA is broadcasting, as the most technically and financially viable way of enabling Â鶹Éç ALBA to be carried on Freeview.

On Freeview carriage, the Â鶹Éç Executive explored and ruled out a range of possibilities for making Â鶹Éç ALBA more widely available. For example, buying spectrum was ruled out due to the prohibitive cost. The removal of a red button stream or Â鶹Éç Parliament from Freeview was also ruled out due to the likely loss of significant public value. Distributing Â鶹Éç 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.

Â鶹Éç Trust Chairman Sir Michael Lyons said:

"The question of how to make Â鶹Éç 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 Â鶹Éç should best reach audiences as platforms increase. Through the Strategy Review we've committed the Â鶹Éç to doing more to ensure that its services can be conveniently accessed by all audiences, and doing more to represent the nations. Enabling Â鶹Éç 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 Â鶹Éç 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 Â鶹Éç 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 Â鶹Éç 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 Â鶹Éç ALBA in the future, subject to the normal value for money and public value considerations.

Notes to Editors

1. Â鶹Éç ALBA is a Gaelic-language service currently available on satellite and Â鶹Éç iPlayer, with limited distribution on smaller cable providers. It is the first Â鶹Éç licence fee funded service to operate as a partnership, between the Â鶹Éç and MG ALBA.
2. The service launched in September 2008 following Â鶹Éç Trust approval earlier that year, with a condition attached that continuation of the service and the Â鶹Éç'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 Â鶹Éç 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 Â鶹Éç ALBA, in light of the strategic review of the Â鶹Éç that the Trust was then conducting.
6. The radio services that will be taken off Freeview in Scotland only while Â鶹Éç ALBA is broadcasting (usually between 5pm and midnight) are: Â鶹Éç Radios 1,2, 3, 4, 5 Live, 5 Live Sports Extra, Â鶹Éç 1Xtra, Â鶹Éç Asian Network, Â鶹Éç 6 Music, Â鶹Éç Radio 7, Â鶹Éç Radio Scotland, Â鶹Éç Radio nan Gàidheal, and Â鶹Éç World Service. These stations would still be available as usual via a combination of FM/AM/LW, DAB and online.