19th September 2008

BBC Alba takes to the air

Jointly owned by the BBC and MG Alba, an organisation that acts to commission Gaelic-language content for Scotland, BBC Alba has split headquarters at Glasgow’s Pacific Quay and in Stornoway. It broadcasts in Scottish Gaelic, although English subtitles are available for some programmes.

The BBC News website reported on 27 October, after the channel had been on air for a month, that “BBC Alba has proved an early hit with viewers, with more than 600,000 viewers tuning in over its first week, according to the latest figures… viewers in the Highlands and Islands were the biggest consumers with one in four watching over the first week. Other research carried out amongst Gaelic-speaking viewers showed that 82% of Gaelic speakers with access to the service had watched the channel over the first week.”