BBC Three will no longer be an on-air channel and will only be available via BBC iPlayer.
The move to get rid of BBC Three from your live TV programming is part of the BBC’s £100 million cost-cutting plans
An official statement is expected to be released on Thursday, but it is expected that the reason for the decision is to keep the culture-orientated BBC 4 on-air rather than BBC Three.
This means you’ll only be able to get certain shows shown on BBC Three, such as Don’t Tell the Bride and Pramface, via BBC iPlayer.
Prominent comedies like Jack Whitehall and Matt Lucas have been actively campaigning to save BBC Three, with Lucas adding the move would be “really bad for new comedy.”
“I really hope reports that the BBC may kill BBC3 are just rumours. Their support of new comedy in particular is vital,” said Whitehall.
“It’s not necessarily a youth channel, but it is younger-skewed”, said comedian Russell Kane. “I don’t see why it should be cut because people who are younger have quieter voices in the political process.”
Last week, BBC Director General Lord Tony Hall explained “tough choices” would have to be made if the BBC would be able to cut its spending.
“We are in the final stages of a budget process to find an extra £100m of savings,” said Hall at the Oxford Media Convention. “I will announce the outcome of those decisions next month.”
However, Hall earlier said that actually cutting a channel wasn’t a move the British broadcaster was even considering.
“I wouldn’t consider closing a channel. The public feel very strongly about all the services the BBC does. We have to find other ways [of saving the money]”, explained Hall to the World at One.
The BBC Three scrap will have to be approved by the BBC Trust first though, as the governing body is responsible for representing the licence fee payers.
Moving BBC Three online would be “a sizeable step” towards the £100 million savings goal by 2016, according to Broadcast newspaper.
BBC Three was the birth place of Little Britain, Being Human, Gavin & Stacey and Torchwood, which all became extremely successful.
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Via: BBC