![\"\"](\"https:\/\/dailybusinessgroup.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Emily-Maitlis-at-TV-Festival-2022-TV-Festival.png\")
Edinburgh\u00a0has lost its annual television festival to a \u201cmore affordable\u201d bid from Manchester, which will again raise questions about the Scottish capital\u2019s soaring costs.<\/p>\n
The event will be held in Edinburgh in August for the last time, ending a 50-year tradition and leaving a big hole in the Festival calendar.<\/p>\n
It is blow to the city\u2019s revenue and reputation, given that it attracts around 2,000 delegates and has established itself as one of the most influential gatherings in the UK TV calendar.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Last year the festival\u2019s board of directors launched a competitive bidding process as part of a UK-wide strategic review into the event\u2019s long-term future.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
The review examined how the festival could grow amid increasing challenges around accessibility, affordability and sustainability across the television industry.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The festival team paid tribute to Edinburgh, with chair of the festival board Fatima Salaria saying: \u201cThis was never a decision about wanting to leave Edinburgh, or about diminishing the extraordinary role Scotland has played in shaping the identity of this Festival for 50 years. Edinburgh gives the Festival a powerful origin story, and we respect that deeply.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBut this decision had to balance legacy with future opportunity. The Festival now needs the right conditions, support and momentum for its next chapter; where it could have the strongest chance to grow and serve the widest part of the industry. For the board, that place was Greater Manchester.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Scottish Government, Screen Scotland, Edinburgh City Council and the Edinburgh International Conference Centre were all involved in trying to keep the event in the city. <\/p>\n
Greater Manchester\u2019s plans include holding the TV Festival in locations around the newly developed St. John\u2019s creative and cultural district.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cGreater Manchester presented a vision for the Festival that combined genuine creative ambition and future-facing energy with practical accessibility and affordability for delegates,\u201d said Campbell Glennie, chief executive officer of the TV Festival and the TV Foundation.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThis means we can radically reduce the costs associated with attending the Festival as well as the cost of passes.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Bev Craig, leader of Manchester City Council, and deputy mayor for economy business and inclusive growth in Greater Manchester, added: \u201cwe aim to make our region home to the strongest screen industry cluster outside London by 2028 \u2013 an ambition backed by our just-launched \u00a310.5m Screen Production Fund to support film and TV made in Greater Manchester, using local facilities and expertise.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\t <\/div>\n