Everything you need to know about BBC Three's move online

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BBC Three

BBC Three's move to an online channel is now all but certain.

The proposal has been provisionally approved by the BBC Trust, the independent body which oversees the running of the Corporation.

It means the channel is likely to be fully available online by the beginning of 2016.

For an undefined period the TV channel will run alongside it.

The Trust says that's there clear evidence that under-25s have been watching far less 'traditional' TV over the past two years.

One of the main arguments for the move is that younger audiences are already watching on-demand services, and do so regularly.

One of the main arguments against is that not everyone has a great broadband connection.

Image caption,
Comedies like Greg Davies' Cuckoo will continue to be made for BBC Three

Why it's happening

Put simply, the BBC has to save money.

By moving BBC Three online, the Corporation will save around £30m.

As a result, BBC Three's budget will be halved to around £30m, meaning fewer programmes will be made.

Image caption,
Family Guy will be gone from BBC Three

The programmes

Let's start with the obvious. There will be no Family Guy on BBC Three.

It's already been announced that ITV2 has nabbed new episodes of the cartoon. BBC Two will screen older episodes.

Instead, BBC Three will continue to make documentaries like Life On Death Row.

Long form comedies like Cuckoo or Bad Education will also be integral to the channel.

Special one-off dramas like the Bafta award winning Murdered By My Boyfriend may be less common.

That's because money saved from BBC Three is being redirected into making more drama on BBC One.

Image caption,
BBC Three's Murdered By My Boyfriend was one of the BBC's most popular programmes on iPlayer in 2014

The broadband problem

The Trust has one huge issue with the move.

It says the move online will be a barrier to those people without a good enough broadband service.

Despite the majority of households in the UK having a connection, that doesn't always mean a fast speed.

One possible solution will be to put BBC Three programmes on other BBC channels at other times.

Image caption,
There will be more documentaries like Life And Death Row, which won a Bafta for best factual series

The audiences at risk

BBC Three is watched by a higher proportion of black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) adults than other BBC TV service.

The same also applies to audiences from a working class background.

The Trust is worried that an online-only offering may freeze out those audiences, which the BBC has a duty to reach.

So, one solution it's offering is to put time and effort into making the online-only BBC Three "highly visible".

In other words, the Trust wants BBC Three to be promoted a lot, for a strong brand to be created and not let the channel just be plonked on a shelf somewhere.

What the Trust wants for this to go ahead

So the Trust approves the move - in principle - but it wants the BBC to guarantee it three things.

1. It needs to make its audiences aware of the move and, for a period of time, run the traditional BBC Three channel and the new online-only channel at the same time.

2. Most BBC Three programmes will have to be shown - at some point - on BBC One or BBC Two.

3. Other parts of the BBC will have to continue to be used as a testing ground for new talent and ideas, something that BBC Three has been at the forefront of. That's promising news for people wanting to be the next James Corden or Stacey Dooley.

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