S4C has announced changes to its schedule which will see several programmes move to a new time slot from April onwards.
The first change to be announced is that S4C's main weekday news programme is to be broadcast later in the evening.
The half hour news programme Newyddion will be shown at 9.00pm every Monday to Friday night, moving from its current time of 7.30pm.
The programme is provided by BBC Cymru Wales and the changes will come to effect on screen in April, 2013.
Acting Editor of Newyddion, Sharen Griffith, of BBC Cymru Wales says, "Newyddion keeps S4C viewers across all the latest news, with the journalistic excellence audiences expect from the BBC. We're looking forward to re-launching the programme in this exciting new 9.00pm slot in the S4C schedule."
Also, the drama series Rownd a Rownd is to be moved to the centre of the schedule. From April onwards the series, filmed by Rondo Media in Menai Bridge, will move from its current early evening slot at 6.10pm to the later time of 7.30pm every Tuesday and Thursday.
The weekday magazine series Heno, which broadcasts live from Tinopolis studios in Llanelli and on location across Wales, will remain at its current time of 7.00pm, but the Monday and Friday night editions are to be extended to a one hour programme.
Dafydd Rhys, S4C Director of Content, says, "These changes are in response to our audience’s wishes and will put their needs first. Moving Newyddion to a later slot will create a new focal point for S4C's news service. It's a chance to re-locate the news and create a comprehensive, up to the minute service which is relevant for that time of night and for the S4C audience with news from Wales and the world.
"It also gives us more flexibility when planning the programme schedule for weekday evenings. I'm confident that moving Rownd a Rownd to a later time will prove popular and will introduce the drama series to a wider audience. We are also able to offer Heno, one of the cornerstones of the S4C schedule, a one hour long slot on Monday and Friday nights, allowing more coverage to events in communities across Wales."
