Stuart McMillan MSP, (SNP West of Scotland) is delighted the BBC Audience Council agrees with his campaign over the past two years that Scotland’s qualifying matches for international football tournaments should be shown on terrestrial television.
The report, published today, calls on the Department of Culture Media and Sport (DCMS) at Westminster to add the international qualifying games to the list of high-profile sporting events which must be made available for free-to-air terrestrial broadcasters.
Mr. McMillan said;
"I lodged a petition in Parliament two years ago calling on such action so am delighted the BBC Audience Council, who advise the BBC Trust, have found this to be the case.
"It is appalling that Scotland’s apparently national broadcaster does not currently show these football matches which are of great interest to people in Scotland.
"It is unfair to the license fee payers not to be able to view their national team’s important matches.
"Evidence in this report shows the matches that were shown during the Euro 2008 qualifying stages gained BBC Scotland some of the highest viewing figures of the year. This is proof that people in Scotland want to and will watch these games.
"I hope the BBC take on board the findings in this report and act wisely upon them and give the people of Scotland the programmes they want to watch".
Note:
· Stuart McMillan’s petition to Parliament before becoming MSP:
Television coverage of Scottish football teamRaised by: Stuart McMillan on 18 October 2006
Petition by Stuart McMillan, calling for the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Executive to exert all its political powers upon BBC Scotland to ensure the corporation provide television coverage of every Scotland National Football Team match and notes the sporting and cultural importance of the national team which should ensure that this issue is highlighted every time the Scottish Executive meet with BBC Scotland.
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