Scottish television viewers are more dissatisfied with the output of the BBC than people from any other part of the UK.
A new review by Ofcom has found that, while Scots watch more television than anyone else in the country, they are concerned about representation and portrayal of Scottish people in BBC programming and too much of a focus on the central belt.
The research found that only 52% of Scottish BBC viewers had an overall favourable impression of the state broadcaster, compared to 64% of all UK adults, and only 39% of people in Scotland thought the BBC broadcasts a good range of programmes and content that represent where they live, compared to 50% of all UK adults.
In response to questions in focus groups, a number of Scottish residents expressed a need for more news from outside Glasgow and Edinburgh.
The hit crime drama Shetland was praised by respondents for highlighting part of the country that it is perceived does not receive enough attention on television.
Glenn Preston, director of Ofcom in Scotland, said: “While viewers told us that the BBC, and TV in general, represents a wider mix pf people than it used to, some people still feel less visible, or portrayed in ways that are narrow or inauthentic.
“We will monitor the BBC’s performance in these areas closely over the course of the year, and report on its progress in subsequent annual reports.”
A BBC spokeswoman said: “We’re pleased this report recognises the progress we’ve made in better representing and portraying a wide mix of people, and finds that many people feel the BBC compares well to other broadcasters in representing and portraying the nations and regions of the UK.
“We know there’s more to do and, as Ofcom recognises, we’ve already taken action to achieve this, but this is a complex area and the report also shows that sometimes different people from the same background have contrasting views about the authenticity of our output.”
