ITV licence holder to begin digital service next month that will cover international and UK news from Scottish perspective

STV to take on BBC in Scotland with launch of digital news service

STV is to launch a new digital news service, taking the fight to the BBC’s services in Scotland.

The service, which launches next month, includes allowing users of the completely overhauled STV News app to access a full spectrum of international, UK and Scottish news for the first time.

“The service will enable us to cover an editorial narrative we never have been able to before – the provision of international news and UK-wide news from a Scottish perspective,” said Rob Woodward, the chief executive of STV, the ITV licence holder in Scotland.

“Since the independence referendum there has been a rise in the awareness of Scotland as a nation and there is an appetite to understand its positioning in a UK and global perspective.”

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The launch of the service, which has the strapline “the home of Scottish news”, comes as the BBC is under increasing pressure to significantly increase its investment in Scotland, including potentially a new online TV channel.



STV, which also holds five local TV licences for cities in Scotland, has warned the BBC in Scotland must not crowd out commercial rivals.



Woodward said STV was responding to the increased demand for Scottish news, pointing out it has created 45 new roles to build the new service, which has been known as Project Metropolis, across editorial, development and commercial areas.

As well as news, the service will cover weather, politics, entertainment and sport, and there will be a major focus on delivering more video content.

“By in large our stories will incorporate short-form video,” said Woodward. “There is nobody [in Scotland] who has anything like an equivalent product.”

STV runs two local TV stations in Glasgow and Edinburgh, with three more set to be launched in Aberdeen, Ayr and Dundee.