SNP proposes Scottish Broadcasting Service as a joint ventureShows such as EastEnders, Doctor Who, Strictly still available

A new Scottish Broadcasting Service funded by the Scottish share of BBC licence fee income will be established if the nation votes for independence in next year's referendum.

The Scottish National party said it would establish the SBS as a joint venture with the BBC, replacing BBC Scotland as the nation's licence fee funded public service broadcaster on TV, radio and online from the start of 2017.

BBC shows such as EastEnders, Doctor Who and Strictly Come Dancing would still be available in Scotland via the SBS/BBC joint venture, the SNP is proposing.

The SNP pledged that after independence Scottish viewers and listeners would continue to have access to all current TV channels – including ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5 – and radio stations at no additional cost and it would respect existing charters and broadcast licences.

The SNP is proposing that BBC1 and BBC2 would continue to be available in Scotland, with the SBS having the right to opt-out, as BBC Scotland already does.

SBS funding

The SBS will initially be set up using BBC Scotland's staff and facilities, the SNP said in its 670-page white paper on independence, published on Tuesday.

It will have an annual budget of about £345m and will launch a new TV channel and radio station, as well as running existing services BBC Alba, Radio Scotland and Radio nan Gàidheal, the SNP is forecasting.

The SBS would continue to supply the BBC with the same level of network programming, in return for access to the corporation's services in Scotland.

Funding for the SBS will come from Scotland's share of licence fee income (£320m a year) and BBC commercial arm BBC Worldwide's profits (£13m), plus £12m annually provided by the Scottish government for Gaelic broadcasting. It will not have to raise money from advertising, the SNP said.

"The SBS will offer a wide range of programming and content on TV, radio and online," the SNP independence white paper said. "It will reflect the variety of our nation in terms of geography, ethnicity, language, belief, lifestyle and taste. The SBS will be independent of government, impartial in its editorial view and given creative freedom in production.

"An expert panel will devise the SBS charter and propose governance arrangements to ensure that the SBS focuses on quality, serves the interests of the people of Scotland, and works in partnership with staff. These principles will subsequently be enshrined in legislation."

BBC Scotland's annual budget is currently just over £200m, but likely to fall to about £175m by 2016 under the corporation's Delivering Quality First cost-cutting programme, according to the SNP, meaning Scottish independence would mean "almost doubling the level of public spending on public service broadcasting and production in Scotland".

Scottish commissioning

The SNP said it envisaged the SBS continuing to co-commission, co-produce and cooperate with the BBC on network programming, but better reflect Scotland's population proportionate to the UK as a whole in terms of share of hours and funding. BBC Scotland makes network shows including Question Time, Mrs Brown's Boys, Limmy's Show and Waterloo Road.

Scotland's share of BBC network production was 3% in 2007, 9% in 2011 and 7.6% last year, according to the SNP. Scotland's population is about 5.3 million, or 8.4% of the UK total, according to the 2011 census.

"These arrangements will shift commissioning power and resources from the BBC to Scotland, while providing continuity for the BBC, consistent with its recent moves to decentralise from London," the SNP said in its independence white paper.

"The SBS will be encouraged to explore the opportunities with other broadcasters for co-production and co-commissioning, beyond the joint venture agreement with the BBC, to build on the strengths that the Scottish production sector has in comedy, drama, natural history and factual entertainment programming."

Channel 4's role

The SNP said it would also seek an agreement with Channel 4 by the proposed start of independence for Scotland in 2016 to ensure the advertiser-funded public service broadcaster has "appropriate minimum level of original production, in terms of both value and hours, that reflects Scotland's population size".

"One possible long-term model for Channel 4 might be a company part-owned by a Channel 4 Scotland which controls a shareholding proportion matching Scotland's population share, with the number of hours and proportion of spend also matching this level."

More generally, the SNP pledged to increase investment in Scottish film and TV production. "We plan to continue the existing fiscal incentives for such production, and, within the first term of an independent Scottish parliament, we propose to look at ways to encourage further development in the sector, through incentives, infrastructural investment and support for development, skills and training."

The SNP is proposing that post-independence media regulator Ofcom's economic responsibilities be handed over to a combined economic regulator for Scotland, while "appropriate measures" should be put in place recognising the "cultural significance of broadcasting" within the country's new regulatory regime.

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