Viewer figure boost for Gaelic TV

The new BBC Alba television channel is popular in the Highlands

BBC Alba has proved an early hit with viewers with more than 600,000 viewers tuning in over its first week, according to the latest figures.

Research carried out by TNS System Three for the channel indicated that both awareness and initial viewing were "encouragingly high".

About 610,000 viewers watched documentaries broadcast on the channel.

Viewers in the Highlands and Islands were the biggest consumers with one in four watching over the first week.

Other research carried out amongst Gaelic-speaking viewers showed that 82% of Gaelic speakers with access to the service had watched the channel over the first week. Of those viewers, 87% watched over two hours of BBC Alba.

The combined reach of BBC Alba and the BBC Alba programmes broadcast on BBC 2 was 860,000, 21% of the adult population of Scotland.

BBC Alba head of service, Margaret Mary Murray, said the initial research results reflected "an excellent start".

She added: "People seem to be drawn in by the freshness and originality of the channel's approach and we will work hard to maintain their interest."

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