BBC to deliver live streams from 17 locations for Glasgow 2014

BBC Scotland director Ken MacQuarrie has outlined some of the broadcaster’s plans for coverage of the next Commonwealth Games, which are scheduled to take place in Glasgow from 23 July to 3 August.

Speaking at the Royal Television Society’s Campbell Swinton Lecture in Glasgow, MacQuarrie emphasised a continuity between last year’s coverage of the Olympics and 2014’s Commonwealth Games. “In many ways, the Games came of age in a digital world, defined to large extent by the BBC’s approach to coverage,” he said. “We will adopt a similar approach to the Commonwealth Games, during which 15 separate streams will be beamed from 17 locations around Scotland. In this endeavour, we will work closely with colleagues in Salford and London and with BBC teams and other broadcasters across the Commonwealth to ensure that the programming of, and around, the Games will be second to none.”

Next year is set to be an important one for BBC Scotland; in addition to the Commonwealth Games, the broadcaster will mark the outbreak of the First World War and report “every twist and turn” of the Independence reference debate. Regarding the referendum, MacQuarrie reconfirmed that the BBC would not take any position on what shape broadcasting might take if the Scottish electorate vote for independence.

“Broadcasting will feature as a topic for debate within the discussions which will take place between now and September 2014: for the BBC to take – or to be seen to take – any kind of stance on a constitutional issue would potentially damage our reputation for impartial and unbiased reporting, particularly given the fact that the referendum and the issues it will involve will be comprehensively covered across out output,” he said.