Journalists at STV will strike on 8 May 2025, coinciding with coverage of the Holyrood vote count. The walkout follows a previous strike in January over redundancies and plans to merge two regional news programmes. Around 80 journalists went on strike in January over redundancies and a plan to merge STV Central and STV North 6pm news programmes.
STV has faced significant financial pressures. Revenue in the year to 31 December 2025 fell 6% to £176.9m, according to the company. The broadcaster swung from a statutory pre-tax profit of £10.4m to a loss of £5.9m. Adjusted pre-tax profit dropped 61% to £6.7m, and statutory operating profit was down 71% to £3.8m. In response, STV began a £5m cost-saving programme in March 2024, later extended to £8m in September 2025.
As part of its cost-cutting measures, STV implemented a temporary salary freeze, according to the company. Base salaries have not increased since January 2025, when staff received a 3% pay rise and a final profit-sharing payment. However, overall spend on pay increased by 16% due to one-off redundancy payments.
Restructuring costs amounted to £1.7m in 2025, mainly for redundancies. Around 60 roles were cut in the second half of 2025, with about £3m in incremental savings expected in 2026. Of those, 28 newsroom roles were affected, mostly through voluntary redundancy or redeployment.
Ofcom's final decision on the proposed merger of STV Central and STV North's 6pm news programmes has been delayed until after the Scottish elections.
The exact number of journalists expected to participate in the 8 May strike has not been confirmed, nor is it clear whether the walkout will affect the Holyrood vote count coverage as intended. The duration of the salary freeze and the specific compensation demands of the striking journalists also remain unknown.