When the new BBC Scotland channel was launched, Steve Carson, its head of commissioning, made it plain that, for the corporation, this was no experiment, or toe-in-the-water: it was backing the digital venture for the long haul.
So, although it may be tempting to predict the entire future of the channel, or even its right to existence (which of course has already been granted by Ofcom), based on early ratings: it is really early days yet. The BBC will back the channel, I was told, until at least the end of its current Charter in 2027. So that gives this newborn at least eight years to find its feet.
It was perhaps inevitable that the early programming - the launch night, the much-anticipated first broadcast of The Nine - would have higher audiences than other offerings, and that the initial enthusiasm for something new may falter or vary over time.
Read more: Andrew McKie: I'm not against BBC Scotland - I just thought we already had it
The Nine lies at the heart of the station, indeed, if one remembers the long controversy over the need (or not) for a ‘Scottish Six’: the whole concept of the new channel sprung from that debate. That, right now, it has an average audience of 28,000 people may not overly alarm the BBC (although I am sure they want more). Its real test will be when Big Events occur, and whether the distinctly Scottish audience it was made to appeal to will turn to it in large numbers: for a General Election night, or another IndyRef.
There are better figures on the channel: 230,000 people watched the Partick Thistle vs Hearts game, and the first episode of Inside Central Station was watched by 178,000.
There is another factor to consider, which is the very different viewing habits people have now, compared to even five years ago. Catch-up and streaming is very common. Some viewers may even watch The Nine on iPlayer at a different time, rather than ‘live’. Already, the BBC tell me, they have seem evidence of a different viewing pattern.
For example, Jamie Genevieve #Unfiltered which had 23,000 viewers overnight in one of its late night slots, has since had 61,000 requests to view on iPlayer. Mr Carson’s full job title is ‘head of multi-platform commissioning’ and that emphasis on the several stages for its shows is a factor that the BBC take seriously.
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