BBC Three is to embark on a new multiplatform strategy as part of its 2008 winter/spring season. Danny Cohen, Controller, BBC Three, said the channel was aiming to become Britain’s most ambitious multi-platform network – combining television and the web into a single, integrated offering. “At BBC Three we should be known for pioneering risk, and be obsessed with all things new – new talent, new programmes, and a new relationship between television and the internet,” he said.
From February all programmes will be simulcast on the web and there will be regular slots for user generated content in primetime.
Cohen revealed a slate of new drama and entertainment including the singer Lily Allen, who will host a new show based around social networking, and premieres of US series Greek and the second series of Heroes.
The channel has regularly been criticised for its output by MPs and certain sections of media. Cohen has countered this with Upstaged, a combination of talent show and social networking, described as an “eight-week live online event”. The channel is also returning to news, having tried a series of formats, largely without success. The 60 Second hourly summaries will continue alongside a new show that will look at how the news is being covered across the globe.
