91Èȱ¬

Sport, Archive Formats, Acquisitions & New Talent content are all central to 91Èȱ¬ Scotland’s linear schedules, 91Èȱ¬ iPlayer and online offering. This range of content is enjoyed by audiences and offers producers the opportunity to reflect Scotland in all its diversity.

Over the past few years these genres have delivered successful titles including:

• Feature Documentaries/Acquisitions/Pre-Sale/Co-Investment: Killing Escobar, Long Live My Happy Head, Last Breath, Flint, The Dark Shadow of Murder & The Islands and the Whales
• Archive Documentary Formats: Billy & Us, Tuned In: 100 Years of Scottish Broadcasting, The Scandals that Shocked Scotland, The Disasters That Shocked Scotland, The Trials That Shocked ScotlandScottish Cup Classics & Rewind (80s, 90s & 00s).
• New Talent: Emerging TV Directors (Unscripted) Initiative
• Strands/Others: Food Fest Scotland, Coast to Coast Food Festival (co-pro with 91Èȱ¬ Content),Beechgrove, Landward, This Farming Life (co-pro with 91Èȱ¬ Content), My Kind of Town & Debate Night. 

Before submitting pitches or proposals

Please consider and outline what makes your content unique, why it is important to produce this content now, why it is particularly relevant to audiences in Scotland (see note on Audience Research below), which audiences you will be targeting, how you will connect with younger and underserved audiences and when you’d suggest we broadcast/stream. Please include this information in your commissioning pitch or acquisition proposal.

Creative Diversity

Before submitting pitches or proposals please ensure you are familiar with the 91Èȱ¬â€™s commitments to ensuring Creative Diversity. We will prioritise pitches and proposals which authentically embody Creative Diversity.

91Èȱ¬ iPlayer

91Èȱ¬ iPlayer is at the heart of the 91Èȱ¬â€™s offering to audiences and is integral to 91Èȱ¬ Scotland’s approach to content commissioning. In a world where audiences are streaming much of their content, it is important for us to understand how you will make your content attractive to iPlayer audiences over a long period of time and which assets you will use to support this. How will you tell the story of your content in still images on 91Èȱ¬ iPlayer? More information is available on the Production and Delivery website.

Audience Research

The 91Èȱ¬ Audience Research site allows independent production companies access to audience information for all the programmes made by their company, together with a growing selection of insightful research articles from the 91Èȱ¬ Audiences team. Details on how to access can be found on the 91Èȱ¬ Audiences website.

• Submit via: Email: 91Èȱ¬ Scotland Acquisitions

Current opportunities

NATIONS BOXING - INVITATION TO PITCH

Invitation to Pitch (ITP) to produce live Boxing coverage.

The ITP has been issued jointly by 91Èȱ¬ Scotland, 91Èȱ¬ Wales and 91Èȱ¬ Northern Ireland.

The aim is to host three live boxing events as part of the pilot, with Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales hosting one event each. All three nations will broadcast all three live events, and they will all be available across the UK on 91Èȱ¬ iPlayer.

 Timeline:

• 28th August - Invitation to Pitch issued.

• 10th September – signed NDAs to be submitted to raluca.albu@bbc.co.uk (submitting your signed NDA signals your intention to participate)

• 13th September at 18h00 - DEADLINE for submissions (note the templates for submission are included as appendices at the end of the document.

• End of September: Commission

• Oct-Jan: Production/Broadcast/Stream

All queries and clarifications in connection to this ITP should be submitted to raluca.albu@bbc.co.uk. Please read the document carefully, including the evaluation criteria.

Featuring a mix of Scottish, Northern Irish  and Welsh fighters at all three events - with belts on the line at every weight. Available live on 91Èȱ¬ TV (headline fights), 91Èȱ¬ iPlayer and 91Èȱ¬ Sport product.

Our aim is to offer authentic and credible live championship boxing to audiences across the nations in a way that creates a sense of genuine competition, pride and excitement. Each nation will cover one event (of three) during the pilot series. Each fight night will be curated to allow all three nations to broadcast/stream all three events. With uniform branding, graphics, music and crossover in presentation teams the pilot will feel like a series of three rather than separate events.

91Èȱ¬ Scotland, 91Èȱ¬ Northern Ireland & 91Èȱ¬ Cymru Wales will each commission a production company to provide coverage of a live boxing event. To offer the required breadth of competition, live audience, and scale of event it is likely that production companies will have sought out and partnered with an appropriate promoter who can provide access to an event which offers a full bill of boxing built around one or two title fights. These titles would be for Celtic Belt (one stage above Welsh, Scottish and Irish championships but one below British title belts). The 91Èȱ¬/Production Company will not be responsible for organising, funding, or staging each event, this will rest with the relevant promoter, with the 91Èȱ¬ providing live event coverage.

Each fight night would be a single commission from each nation but one which will be simulcast across Northern Ireland, Scotland & Wales.

Download the full Invitation to Pitch here.

CO-COMMISSIONING OPPORTUNITY: 91Èȱ¬ DAYTIME & 91Èȱ¬ SCOTLAND

91Èȱ¬ Scotland is working closely with the 91Èȱ¬ Daytime team to co-commission content that drives audiences on iPlayer, whilst also serving network audiences across the day on linear and on 91Èȱ¬ Scotland in peak.

91Èȱ¬ Daytime has a broad remit which covers a range of topics, across a large part of the linear network schedule, while the 91Èȱ¬ Scotland channel has a focus on showcasing Scottish talent and contemporary stories. We’re looking for ideas that can service both audiences, this could be in the shape of a precinct, topic or hub format. In all cases expertise and purpose should be at the heart of the proposition as should a clear sense of distinctiveness in relation to existing titles on the 91Èȱ¬, and other services.

Any proposals with celebrities attached should have a driving narrative and the talent should appeal to both 91Èȱ¬ Scotland and 91Èȱ¬ Daytime audiences.

To help underpin our shared objectives, we have ringfenced a modest funding allocation for secondary development of ideas which both 91Èȱ¬ Scotland and 91Èȱ¬ Daytime believe warrant further investigation. This funding would not be for pilots, but instead to develop talent, initial casting, format development/testing, etc.

If you have pitches which you believe would work in this territory, please submit via 91Èȱ¬ PiCoS marked for either Muslim Alim (91Èȱ¬ Daytime) or Tony Nellany (91Èȱ¬ Scotland), with ‘Co-comm’ in the title. Don't worry about submitting to both of us as we’ll share the ideas.

Please submit your pitches asap.

Things to consider before submitting your acquisition proposal

• Does your content comply with 91Èȱ¬â€™s Editorial Values & Standards (this applies to all content, regardless of source)?
• If your content were to be acquired, will you be able to supply all information required, including a 91Èȱ¬ Compliance Form.  More details on the Production and Delivery website.
• Are you able to meet , including all deliverables such as reporting documents and PR assets?
• Before we are able to consider your proposal we also need to receive, by email, a completed .
• Are you able to provide proof of Errors & Omissions (E&O) Insurance that meets the 91Èȱ¬â€™s minimum cover requirements (details can be found on the 

Tony Nellany

In his role as Channel Manager, Tony is focussed on continued development, delivery, management and success of the 91Èȱ¬ Scotland television channel. He has been involved in the development of the channel since its inception and is passionate about delivering content that engages audiences in Scotland and beyond. Tony also has responsibility for acquiring scripted and non-scripted content and commissions archive formats and reversions, along with a mix of other programming.

Tony spent many years working in television production across news and current affairs, documentaries and features, including on a number of award-winning projects. He is also an experienced Executive Producer with credits across a variety of genre.

Before joining Multiplatform Commissioning, Tony worked with the 91Èȱ¬ Scotland Executive Team in designing strategies to ensure the broadcaster continues to reach and serve its audiences well into the future.