Digital Gaelic Television Channel
It has been announced in the media that there will be a dedicated Gaelic Digital Service (GDS) launched this summer which will include a dedicated Gaelic Television Channel. This is a joint venture between BBC Scotland and Gaelic Media Service. This channel will initially be released on cable, satellite and broadband and will hopefully move to freeview following a review. More information is available on the Gaelic Media Service website.
Having a dedicated Gaelic TV channel will allow Gaelic speakers, Learners or any person with an interest in the Scottish Language a chance to view a wide range of programmes.
For those people who are not currently in a Gaelic speaking community it will give a chance to have gaelic involved in everyday life. For example, someone currently living in England might not get a chance to utilise the language skills on a daily basis – this would give them that opportunity.
For those people currently learning the language this channel will prove to be an excellent learning tool. It is well known that immersing yourself in the language is the easiest way to learn. Not all learners live close to a Gaelic speaking community – this will provide them with an opportunity to “listen to the locals”.
The Gaelic channel TeleG which is currently available between 6pm and 7pm for Freeview Viewers allows viewers a chance to see repeats of programs shown on analogue TV. See www.teleg.co.uk for full details of program schedules.