h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

For those that don't know it, BBC3 is the BBC's "light entertainment" channel, basically a load of (in my opinion) awful comedy shows. But even though I don't like the shows on it, I do like the channel. It provides the BBC with the airspace and opportunity to take risks with new writing and acting talent, and it provides a very good service for its target demographic of teen to late twenties.

Yesterday however the news broke that the BBC were going to "axe" the channel. Headlines like "BBC3 closure triggers protests from channel's star names" over at the Guardian newspaper, and even more sensationalist over on the other tabloids, appeared telling the world that the channel was closing down.

Except it's not.

The BBC are not closing BBC3, they've never said they were. The news articles surrounding this "story" are just that, stories. They’re so badly biased towards BBC bashing that they're mixing the truth up with the gossip.

So here's what is happening. The BBC needs to save money, and to do so they've looked at both BBC3 and the cultural BBC4. When looking at them, they've realised that the target audience of BBC3 tend to mostly watch programmes on iPlayer while the target audience of BBC4 tend to sit down and watch the programmes when they're broadcast. So they're making BBC3 purely online. They're not closing or axing BBC3, they're just moving it to be purely available on iPlayer.

Now, I think that this is a brilliant, if slightly risky, move by the BBC. If this works, this could well set a precedent for other stations. People no longer arrange their lives around television listings, they no longer make sure that the entire family is sat down after dinner, ready to watch the next episode of their favourite show. Technology has moved on, and so have people. People now use things like iPlayer and 4OD so that they can watch the episodes they want to watch, when they want to watch them. You can work late, or go to the pub for a few drinks on your way home, and with just a few click on your telly, laptop, tablet or phone, watch a show originally broadcast while you were socialising with your mates.

And to me it seems that the BBC are focussing on this. A lot of the press are claiming that the BBC are stuck in a time-warp, saving BBC4 at the expense of the more youth focused BBC3. But it's the exact opposite, the BBC are potentially leading the field here showing what the future of broadcast television could be like. And I congratulate them on that move.

BBC News said only 4% of the audience currently watched it online.

Let's face it, if you take the trouble to go online, then there are infinitely many more exciting things to do than watch BBC3.

That's because we're not their target audience

I do think though that they'll get better viewing figures online only.

I'd not heard that it was closing? Just a proposal to make it an online service.

Problem with that is that it will still be UK only viewing. I cannot understand why I'm not able to access BBC TV at all here, online. I'd be willing to pay a fee or watch ads. As it is, I am only able to stream their radio via the PC. It's not available via Android.

I'm in one of those places where Netflix or Lovefilm is also not available.

If the BBC want a bigger online audience they should consider the wider world.

More details coming out:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-26464007


Geggs

Yup, I still think it's a good move.

"Problem with that is that it will still be UK only viewing. I cannot understand why I'm not able to access BBC TV at all here, online. I'd be willing to pay a fee or watch ads. As it is, I am only able to stream their radio via the PC. It's not available via Android.

I'm in one of those places where Netflix or Lovefilm is also not available."

*cough* http://www.unblock-us.com/ *cough*

The beeb have felt the need to set things clear: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-26469085

Which given the total crap the media have been publishing, isn't surprising.

It also says that the some money from BBC3 will go to BBC1 so that it can keep investing in drama. Now, you'd think "Why?" because drama's a bit dull at times. But it's the drama that they're then able to sell on through BBC Worldwide. Dramas such as Downton Abbey are massive cash cows for the beeb, and protecting that income is surely a far more sensible move than protecting some of the dross on 3.

{ Dramas such as Downton Abbey are massive cash cows for the beeb}

Really?

What I find frustrating personally is that BBC4 doesn't open until 7pm, just when is going to bed and when I start working. The channel is there, taking up the space, all day, but not actually showing anything. I'd love it just to have repeats of the previous night's programmes so that I have a chance to watch them.

Although, saying that, has been far more vocal these days that I'm not allowed to watch those kind of programmes anyway.

I'm not exactly the mainstream market though.

I thought that it was because it’s a channel share. When they split BBC Choice and BBC Knowledge into BBC3, BBC4, CBBC and Cbeebies, it didn't really make much difference - they don't have BBC3 and CBBC broadcasting at the same time, or BBC4 and Cbeebies at the same time. So effectively they're still 2 channels spread over 4.

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