Committee publication · Correspondence · 26 November 2025
Correspondence with Rufus Radcliffe, CEO, STV North regarding STV viewing figures, dated 12 & 19 November 2025
From: Scottish Affairs Committee
Inquiry: The work of the BBC in Scotland
Summary
The Scottish Affairs Committee (12 November) challenges STV CEO Rufus Radcliffe's testimony on viewing data for individual licence areas, noting apparent inconsistencies between his claims of inability to track regional figures and statements that complete datasets exist internally. Radcliffe's 19 November response defends STV's transparency, clarifies that BARB data is published only as combined figures and regional breakdowns are unofficial, and reframes the cost-savings plan as driven by structural market decline rather than regional underperformance.
Key findings
- STV holds internal regional data but states it is not 'official, reliable or statistically robust' and cannot be published or relied upon for policy decisions.
- Official BARB data is published only as combined figures for both licence areas; regional splits are calculated pro-rata from combined population adjustments for advertising purposes only.
- STV's £3m cost-savings plan and proposed news consolidation rest on multiple data sources including Ofcom reports, BARB combined data, and financial reporting—not regional licence-area breakdowns.
- Projected 40% audience decline for STV News at 6 by 2030 is based on BARB trend analysis; other broadcasters (BBC Scotland, Channel 4, Channel 5) have secured similar reductions in news output with Ofcom approval.
- Committee raised concerns that STV's earlier testimony was 'unclear and seemingly inconsistent'; Radcliffe refutes any misleading intent and attributes confusion to the 'detailed technical concepts' of BARB data.
Tone
AdversarialTopics
Key actors
Patricia Ferguson MP, Rufus Radcliffe, STV Group plc, Ofcom, BARB, Scottish Affairs Committee, BBC Scotland, Channel 4
Notable line
“If no action is taken, the very existence of the PSBs – who are the main providers of PSM – will be threatened.”
Key Quotes
“… the information you have provided regarding the data STV holds in respect of viewing figures, is unclear and seemingly inconsistent with information available elsewhere”
“Internally, we can interpret the complete data set in different ways, including on a regional basis. However, this interpretation is not official, reliable or statistically robust, and cannot be published.”
“STV is a subscriber to BARB for official data and our viewing figures are reported and published as a combined figure for both of our licence areas together. It is this combined data that is official, reliable and statistically robust.”
“Taking no action is not an option.”
“If no action is taken, the very existence of the PSBs – who are the main providers of PSM – will be threatened. Time is running out to save this pillar of UK culture and way of life.”
Source · parliament.uk record ↗