'20 years after the Communications Act 2003: the impact on production from and in Scotland' is a report prepared by Oliver & Ohlbaum Associates Ltd, commissioned by Screen Scotland to assess the impact that the Communications Act 2003 has had on production from and in Scotland, and on Scotland’s TV production company ecology since its introduction.
This report explores the trends seen in the Scottish TV production sector since the Communications Act 2003, with a particular focus on developments in the decade prior to 2023. It examines the structure and makeup of the sector and how this has evolved over time. It also looks at future opportunities and sets out recommendations for the future.
It looks at trends in TV production in Scotland, focusing on the UK Public Service Broadcasters (PSBs) – primarily the BBC and Channel 4 as the largest commissioning broadcasters in the market. It presents an analysis of trends in commissioning, looking at the number and volume of commissions and levels of investment in originated content.
To understand the market developments since 2003, Oliver & Ohlbaum Associates Ltd have used a variety of quantitative and qualitative methods, bringing together data from a range of sources, including analysis of the O&O Producer Database, the Pact Census carried out by O&O, broadcaster schedules, Ofcom publications and industry reports. This is complemented with insights from an interview programme with independent producers, Screen Scotland, Ofcom Scotland, and Dr Katherine Champion of University of Stirling and Dr Lisa Kelly of University of Glasgow.