// BBC ENTERTAINMENT & ARTS — MODA & SOCIETÀ
Government minister calls for review of 'unacceptable' BBC Scotland channel closure
The BBC announced the Scotland channel will move online next year
Culture Secretary Màiri McAllan has urged Ofcom to review "wholly unacceptable" plans to close the linear BBC Scotland channel.
The BBC last week announced the dedicated Scotland channel - as well as BBC Three and Radio 4 Extra - would move online as part of measures to make £500m of savings by 2028.
McAllan said moving the channel online would "reverse progress in improving the visibility and representation of Scotland within the UK's broadcasting landscape".
She called on Ofcom, the UK's independent broadcasting regulator, to scrutinise the decision and its implications.
McAllan wrote: "The Scottish government considers the proposed closure of the linear BBC Scotland channel to be wholly unacceptable, and we oppose such a move in the strongest possible terms."
BBC Scotland TV channel to close amid cuts to services
In the letter, to the watchdog's chief executive Melanie Dawes and director for Scotland Glenn Preston, McAllan said she understood that broadcasters must adapt to evolve with audience habits.
But she added public service broadcasters had a "unique responsibility to ensure their services remain accessible and relevant".
McAllan continued: "Closure of the linear channel would also be impossible to reconcile with a supposed ambition to move power and decision-making away from London and towards audiences across the UK who are paying for the service.