BBC Three has had its switch flipped from conventional broadcaster to online service.
The BBC first outlined its plans for the channel around two years ago, and those plans were confirmed in June of last year.
Sure enough, yesterday proved to be the last day of BBC Three functioning as a regular UK channel. From today, it’s an exclusively online service.
In fact, the BBC reckons the channel is the first in the world to make such a bold move.
From now on, long-form BBC Three content will show up on its new home, the Best of Three website, as well as through everyone’s favourite catch-up service, iPlayer. Think comedies, dramas, and documentaries, and box-sets of some of the channel’s top shows.
There’ll also be a steady drip of shorter content pushed to the channel’s new mobile-focused website, The Daily Drop, as well as its YouTube channel and social media accounts. Think short films, animation, and sports updates.
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In each of these categories, the Beeb will continue making content for BBC Three’s 16-34 target audience. It’s promised to continue providing original comedy and drama shows, as well as documentaries and current affairs programmes for younger viewers.
All in all, the message across a couple of lengthy blog posts seems to be that BBC Three’s content isn’t going away – it’s just shifting to a more modern and flexible platform.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.