New BBC Scotland channel attracts 700,000 audience peak on first night

BBC Scotland's new channel reached an audience peak of 700,000 on its opening night.

Chvrches singer Lauren Mayberry was the first face and voice to appear on the new BBC Scotland channel.

BBC chiefs said shows like Still Game, Burnistoun, A Night at the Theatre and The People's News help make it the third most watched channel in Scotland - after BBC One and ITV1.

Figures released by the broadcaster said the new channel had a 13 per cent of the audience in Scotland on its opening night, which launched with a sequence

The £32 million channel is also said to have attracted more 16-34 year-olds than any other channel in Scotland and boasted five of the top 10 most-watched shows across all channels.

The most popular show was the first instalment of the final series of Still Game, which. The sitcom attracted 1.3 million viewers in Scotland when it returned after a nine-year hiatus in 2016.

Steve Carson, head of multi-platform commissioning at BBC Scotland, said: "‘This is a strong start for the new channel and we’re delighted that viewers have come to us in such significant numbers for our opening night’s schedule."

"Our aim is to build a channel which resonates with audiences across Scotland through relevant and compelling content.

"We appreciate that ratings will settle down over time, but we are encouraged by the very positive audience feedback that we’ve had for our first night."