BBC Three has become the first mainstream television channel to move from linear to solely online distribution.
The final night gave an airing of some of the channels most well-known comedies including The Mighty Boosh, Little Britain and Cuckoo and Gavin & Stacey.
Its removal from terrestrial, satellite and cable platforms will save the BBC around 30 million pounds a year.
The reinvented online channel will offer a selection of shows to stream and download through The Best Of, which went live at midnight Tuesday and BBC Three on iPlayer has also begun to release a range of daily content through its new, mobile-first platform, The Daily Drop.
“All the way through reinventing BBC Three we were singularly focused on what young people told us they wanted from a modern BBC Three. Content they could dip into during the day that kept them informed and entertained, and comedy, drama and documentaries they watch at their convenience. That’s the idea behind The Daily Drop and The Best Of ,” said BBC Three Controller Damian Kavanagh. “We will refine what we do as we grow and launch new features and products that will make the BBC Three experience even richer. We’re learning from the digital world and iterating over time rather than some old fashioned big bang TV launch with someone like the Spice Girls which would feel very 1990s. That’s not what we want.”
In regular statements before and since the BBC Trust gave approval for the change in June 2015, the BBC has emphasised both that the channel isn’t closing and that it will continue to make original British programmes.
In the coming moths this will include comedies People Just Do Nothing, Cuckoo and Murder In Successville, contemporary drama Thirteen, Clique and Doctor Who spin-off Class, and documentaries like Life And Death Row and Suicide And Me.
BBC Three opened on 9 February 2003, it followed on from BBC Choice that with BBC Knowledge had been the broadcasters first take on what were then described as side channels.
This move now, even if it has been brought about by financial pressures, shows just how much TV has changed in such a short space of time. Kavanagh is relishing the challenge. “This is just the start for BBC Three and us reinventing the BBC’s offer for young people. I’m incredibly lucky to have the best job around right now because I’m not limited by platform, schedule or content form and we’re building an amazing team here all will amazing skills. These are exciting, pioneering times.”
