BBC Scotland's director Hayley Valentine has explained the decision to axe River City.
It was announced in March that the long-running Scottish soap was being cancelled after 23 years, sparking backlash from performing arts union Equity and a campaign to save the show.
Members of the Scottish Parliament later pledged their support for the campaign and, at the time of writing, the petition to save River City has over 12,000 signatures.
Recently giving evidence at the Scottish Parliament about BBC Scotland's drama investment strategy, Valentine explained that the "cost per viewer" of producing River City is now much higher because viewership has "declined significantly".
"I did think about the consequences for cast, for crew, for people who are impacted by the decision," she said (via BBC News).
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"However, we have to put our audience needs first, and the audience for River City has declined significantly over the last five years."
The soap, which was created by Stephen Greenhorn, will come to an end in autumn 2026, with its cancellation paving the way for three new shows set in Scotland.
Valentine said that the new dramas will cost more to make, but the BBC expects them to draw bigger audiences.
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"So in terms of value for money for the audience, I'm afraid that River City didn't pass that test for us any longer," she added. "And we really hope the new dramas will."
The director noted that the BBC did explore different options for River City but "it just hasn't worked", adding: "We have given it a really good run, but I do think it's time to do other things."
The three new shows heading to BBC Scotland are legal drama Counsels, comedy thriller Grams, and coming-of-age book adaptation The Young Team.
River City airs on BBC One Scotland and streams on BBC iPlayer.
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