Edinburgh TV Festival considering relocation after 50 years in Scottish capital
‘Major shifts’ have been cited for consideration of moving the Edinburgh TV Festival
Edinburgh’s TV Festival could leave the Scottish capital where it has run for 50 years, with “major shifts” in the sector cited as a reason for potential relocation to another city.
Festival organisers said they would launch a bidding process inviting UK cities, including Edinburgh, to apply to host the television industry event from 2027 onwards.
The decision forms part of a strategic review focused on “scaling up, impact, accessibility and long-term growth, as the festival explores how best to serve delegates and the wider industry amid major shifts across the TV sector”, organisers said.
However, those behind the festival insisted it was not “necessarily” a withdrawal from Edinburgh, where the festival started in 1976 - or from Scotland as a whole.
The festival, which this year featured events with Tina Fey and Charlie Brooker, has in recent years taken place over four days in August, at the same time as the other Edinburgh festivals.
Organisers said key elements of the existing festival would be retained, including the keynote MacTaggart lecture, which has recently been delivered by broadcaster Emily Maitlis, playwright James Graham and journalist Louis Theroux.
Campbell Glennie, chief executive of the TV Festival and TV Foundation, said: “Edinburgh has been the much-loved home of the TV Festival for the last half century. As an event created by and for the TV industry, we have always championed inclusion and action on accessibility and representation.
“Reviewing our location is part of that same commitment, exploring how we can reduce costs for delegates and make the festival open to more people than ever before.
“This is not necessarily about leaving Edinburgh, or Scotland, but about finding the right solutions. Our goal is to broaden access, strengthen our charitable work, and ensure the festival continues to be the foremost agenda-setting event of the TV year.”
A Screen Scotland spokesperson said it believed Edinburgh offered a “unique and unparalleled creative context” for the festival.
She said: “Edinburgh in August is an unrivalled celebration of artistic endeavour, creativity and performance from across the world, from emergent voices through to established internationally renowned talent.
“We share the Edinburgh TV Festival’s growth ambitions and have long supported its charitable purposes, including its commitments to accessibility and agenda setting. While we understand both the challenges and the attraction for any event taking place in Edinburgh in August, Edinburgh – the TV Festival’s home for the last almost 50 years - offers a unique and unparalleled creative context for its delegates and speakers. A context that has long proved very attractive to the global TV industry.”
The spokesperson added: “Alongside our colleagues in Edinburgh City Council and within the Scottish Government, we will continue to work with the TV Festival team, executive and board to ensure that Edinburgh remains the Edinburgh TV Festival’s home for many years to come.”
Fatima Salaria, chair of the Festival Board, said: “The festival has always looked to the future. Exploring where it’s held gives us the chance to reimagine how we grow and how we reflect the full breadth of the UK’s creative landscape. Our aim is to create a world-class event that’s accessible, dynamic and truly representative of our industry, while keeping the spirit and ambition that have defined Edinburgh for the past 50 years.”
Council Leader Jane Meagher said: “We’re proud to be known as the world's festival city. Our vibrant cultural life and unmatched range of festivals is an important part of our city's identity.
“The Edinburgh TV Festival remains a key part of our festival calendar, and we are committed to working with the Scottish Government and Screen Scotland to enable this festival to continue to thrive, here in the capital.”
Other past speakers at the festival include David Attenborough, Billy Connolly, Stephen Fry, Armando Iannucci, Rupert Murdoch and Phoebe Waller-Bridge.
The festival is programmed by and for the television industry, by a rotating advisory committee headed by a new chair every year. It is wholly owned by a not-for-profit charity, known publicly as The TV Foundation, and is governed by its own board of directors.
Bid applications remain open until February 26, with a decision expected later in the year.
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