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BBC Three is now an online-only channel
For sentimentality's sake, we hope you indulged in your pre-bed ritual of catching a cheeky episode of American Dad! on BBC Three last night -- because as of the early hours of this morning, it ceased to exist as a broadcast channel. For the next few weeks, it'll be repurposed to promote BBC Three's new online-only identity before disappearing from your TV's EPG... forever. The switch has been a long time coming, of course, with the BBC setting the ball rolling almost two years ago as part of continued cost-cutting measures. Despite some opposition from the public, the BBC Trust formally approved the broadcaster's plan for an online-only BBC Three late last year, and that transition has concluded today.
BBC Three's online relaunch starts with new shows and sites
BBC Three is undergoing its wildest metamorphosis to date as it prepares to close its TV channel and move its operations entirely online. That means plenty of new shows and a new means of distribution that goes beyond iPlayer. Over the next few days a site will be introduced called The Daily Drop featuring a mixture of short-form videos, blog posts, news stories and social media. It'll be joined in February by another platform called The Best Of, which is designed to showcase the team's top programming. That includes original longform content, such as documentaries, as well as shorter, more creative videos inspired by YouTube and the like.
BBC Three to go off air and move online in February next year
The writing is well and truly on the wall: BBC Three will cease to exist as a broadcast TV channel from February next year. The plan to take BBC Three off the air and reinvent it online has been a long time coming, as part of an ongoing cost-cutting exercise that may also spell the death of the BBC's Red Button services. The BBC Trust provisionally approved the move this summer ahead of a final review of how the transition to an online-only channel would be handled. Today, the broadcaster's governing body has issued its final decision, formally green lighting BBC Three's digital transformation.
Live 'League of Legends' coverage is coming to BBC Three
The BBC will tap into the popular world of eSports next week by offering live coverage of the League of Legends World Championships for the first time. From October 15th, BBC Three will deliver action from all four days of the quarter finals at Wembley, with Radio 1 DJ Dev Griffin hosting proceedings. He'll be joined by gaming casters Leigh 'Deman' Smith and James 'Stress' O'Leary, who will offer additional context on the action as it unfolds.
BBC Three's TV channel set to disappear on March 1st 2016
Under the BBC's latest proposals, BBC Three will remain on TV for a little longer than expected: March 1st 2016, to be exact. The broadcaster's original plan was to make the channel an online-only service this autumn, but back in April the move was delayed until "after Christmas." The BBC Trust still wasn't happy, however, and called for a "more carefully managed transition" back in June. Now, the BBC's response to those concerns -- released as part of a new consultation, although it appears to have been available online before now -- has given us a fresh look at how the changeover will shake out.
BBC Three's online switch delayed until next year
BBC Three's transition from a traditional channel to an online-only property, with new media playing a key role in its evolution, ain't happening any time this year. The channel was set to be switched off this autumn, but its execution has now been pushed until "after Christmas" while the BBC Trust considers its position. The regulator effectively has the power to approve or deny the move, with a definitive answer expected in June.
ITV snatches rights to new 'Family Guy' episodes from the BBC
For as long as we can remember, BBC Three has been home to the animated comedy shows Family Guy and American Dad. The channel is being taken off the airwaves later this year, morphing into an online-only brand to save the Beeb some dough, and leaving a question mark over where the popular programmes would end up. And now we know the answer. Come autumn this year -- around the time BBC Three as we know it will cease to exist -- the 15th series of Family Guy will start airing exclusively on ITV2. As part of a multi-year deal with Twentieth Century Fox, ITV has also picked up the rights to new and existing seasons of American Dad, all four series of Family Guy spin-off The Cleveland Show, and Seth McFarlane's upcoming animated sitcom, Bordertown.
The BBC's plan to turn an online-only BBC Three into a new media brand
Even before it was announced BBC Three was being taken off the air and turned into an online-only property to cut costs, the BBC was using the channel to experiment with digital-first strategies, such as putting shows online prior to broadcasting them the traditional way. Other streaming-focused initiatives have followed, but the BBC has kept hush about the real future of BBC Three when it's yanked from the airwaves towards the end of next year. Today, however, the broadcaster has revealed the first details of its plan to move BBC Three online, and rather than simply turning it into a streaming-only affair, it wants to reinvent the channel as "a new online service" that "could be a pathfinder for the digital age and for the future of the BBC."
BBC revamps iPlayer with new web UI and greater focus on content discovery
The BBC teased us with stories of a new, improved iPlayer nearing the end of the last year, and today we're seeing the first part of that go live. Arriving today on the web and smart TVs, the "completely re-built" iPlayer has a simpler, image-focused UI that'll be consistent across all platforms when tablet and smartphone apps catch up in a few months. The desktop client is not set to change, if you were wondering, as it's primarily a download manager these days. You can switch between the various BBC channels using tabs near the top of the page, with quick access to categories and favorites on the same level. A revised category list should make it easier to find things to watch that suits your tastes, and suggestive search should help you find those shows you already know you like. Similarly, new themed "collections" will give offer eyeball food that revolves around the same topic. If you're still not sure what to watch, there's always the A-Z program and recently watched lists for inspiration. A new playback page doesn't need to reload when you move onto the next episode (or something else from the recommendations), and you can add programs to favorites straight from the player.
BBC makes popular TV channel 'online only' to cut costs (update)
The BBC TV channel that spawned comedic classics like Little Britain and Gavin & Stacey looks set to be taken off-air as part of a cost-cutting drive. BBC Three won't be killed off completely, however -- if regulators approve, the plan is to make it an online-only channel that would somehow still serve up fresh content aimed at 16- to 34-year-olds, but do so more cheaply. The idea isn't hugely shocking, perhaps, given the recent pressure on the BBC's taxpayer-funded budget and the increasing focus on iPlayer as an alternative to terrestrial broadcasts. Nevertheless, many critics have already spoken out, including the star of Little Britain, Matt Lucas, who said it would be "bad for comedy." There's a #SaveBBC3 movement gathering steam on Twitter and, if history is anything to go by, it might actually have a chance of succeeding -- a move to shut down BBC Radio 6 was reversed following a similar outcry back in 2010. Update: Aaaaaand it's official. If the BBC Trust approve, BBC Three will be closed in the fall of 2015, with £30 million of its budget going to BBC One and the rest of the programming becoming online-only.
BBC Three to launch new programs on iPlayer a week before they air on TV
The BBC might be a stalwart bastion of television broadcasting, but that's not stopping it from expanding its ventures into the wonderful world of online programming. Today, BBC Three announced that it would try its hand at digital-first content starting with the second series of Jack Whitehall's Bad Education. As more and more viewers turn to the internet for their TV-watching needs, the BBC has proven itself eager to keep up with demand, first by unveiling its plan to debut certain programs online in addition to producing iPlayer-exclusive dramas. iPlayer has long been one of the best ways to catch up on your favorite shows when you miss them on the air, but with this new development, the BBC seems interested in shifting the paradigm -- at least when it comes to a few select programs -- to favor online viewership.
BBC commissions first iPlayer-exclusive drama, sees which way the wind is blowing
A few weeks ago, the BBC began to ask "Where Next?" and just like magic, it's now revealing its future direction. The corporation is commissioning its first strand of original dramas that'll air exclusively on its iPlayer VOD service. The deal's rather minor, given that it'll feature six short films in two years that are aimed at BBC Three's "youth" audience, but we can't imagine this won't be followed by something meatier down the line. Perhaps we could see the corporation remaking its seminal series House of Cards... oh.
