BBC Three: Online move approved by BBC Trust
30 June 2015
From the section Entertainment & Arts
BBC Three will move online in January 2016
Plans to close BBC Three and move it online in January 2016 have been approved by the BBC Trust.
The trust set several conditions, including a commitment from BBC One and Two to broadcast more BBC Three programmes aimed at 16-34 year olds.
It rejected proposals for a new BBC One+1 channel, which it said would be at the expense of commercial rivals.
The trust also agreed to CBBC’s running time being extended by two hours, running until 21:00.
This follows a decline in viewers on CBBC in the last four years.
The trust said it was clear “the long-term future of broadcasting is online” and that younger viewers – especially those under 25 – were already more likely to be watching TV that way.
However it acknowledged that not all young people have access to good enough broadband connections to be able to watch entire programmes online, and that for many 16-34 year olds broadcast television was still important.
It has approved proposals to revamp the iPlayer, evolving from what is primarily a catch-up service to one offering online-first content.
BBC Three’s reality show Don’t Tell The Bride has recently been shown on BBC One for the first time
Source:: BBC Entertainment
