[Allanbuzzy]

BBC Considers U-Turn On Closing BBC4 TV Channel – Deadline

BBC Considers U-Turn On Closing BBC4 TV Channel – Deadline
The BBC is giving thought to whether it should close BBC4 as a television channe…
  Source: deadline.com

Deadline are reporting that BBC Four might be saved from the axe. However, on the contrary, there are also reports that the newly relaunched BBC Three is not doing too well in ratings.

I'm really glad to see BBC Four saved from the axe, however I feel that again, when a service is closed on the BBC, each channel feels like a "bridge", and when BBC Three closed down on television, it did leave the BBC a very large gaping hole to where the audiences would inevitably go to other broadcasters.

I can see the same happening for CBBC, audiences choosing not to go to iPlayer but instead Disney+, Netflix, etc. but keeping BBC Four is at least showing that the BBC can afford to keep an arts and archive programming channel alive... even if it means they have to sacrifice a 7-14 year old demo at the BBC.

[JAS84]

If BBC Four doesn't close down, then there's no reason to close CBBC either, as they wouldn't be saving on the bandwidth.

[Argyess]

It puzzles me as to why BBC Three was brought back as a linear channel, given that their target audience mainly watches stuff online now.

Always came across as something of a backwards step to me.

I'm pleased BBC Four might end up being saved after all.

[Stuart]

I can see the same happening for CBBC, audiences choosing not to go to iPlayer but instead Disney+, Netflix, etc. but keeping BBC Four is at least showing that the BBC can afford to keep an arts and archive programming channel alive... even if it means they have to sacrifice a 7-14 year old demo at the BBC.

The CBBC demographic may have no choice but to go to iPlayer.  SVODs like Disney+ and Netflix are drifting down the priority list where families are trying to save money.

People have the misconception that the BBC Four audience need to be spoon-fed a linear channel. They are the 'silver surfers', many of whom are more than capable of navigating iPlayer or t'interweb to find their fix of art and nostalgia. Furthermore, you don't need to be that smart to use a Smart TV these days.

I hope both channels are saved. If they stopped starving the BBC of money, they could be!

[Roger Darthwell]

It puzzles me as to why BBC Three was brought back as a linear channel,  given that their target audience mainly watches stuff online now.

Always came across as something of a backwards step to me.

I'm pleased BBC Four might end up being saved after all.

Because BBC Three's audience completely collapsed once it went online only  uk.news.yahoo.com 

BBC Three's audience ‘collapsed’ after it went online-only
Viewing figures for the youth-oriented channel fell 72% when the BBC made it onl…
  Source: uk.news.yahoo.com

[Robert Williams]

Considering how difficult the BBC finds it to shut things down, I'd be more surprised if they actually went through with these closures.  Similarly, the closure of Radio 4 Extra is "not a done deal" either, according to comments made by the BBC's director of speech late last year.

[Clean Feed]

It puzzles me as to why BBC Three was brought back as a linear channel,  given that their target audience mainly watches stuff online now.

Always came across as something of a backwards step to me.

I'm pleased BBC Four might end up being saved after all.

Because BBC Three's audience completely collapsed once it went online only  uk.news.yahoo.com 

And as the Deadline article states, BBC Three has failed to make much of an impact since returning to linear.

The channel's schedule is a pretty sorry state. Repeat after repeat after repeat and randomly slotting in Northern Irish sport programmes in recent months. Not to mention the reappearance of Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps reruns and EastEnders repeats.  Is it 2023 or 2003?

Bringing the channel back to linear was ill-judged and counter to what the BBC argues most of the rest of the time, that this target audience largely lives online.

The schedule is not strong and what original programming there is doesn't seem to be making much of an impact.  Original content would perhaps be better off shared between BBC One/Two and online.

[Roger Darthwell]

Because BBC Three's audience completely collapsed once it went online only  uk.news.yahoo.com 

And as the Deadline article states, BBC Three has failed to make much of an impact since returning to linear.

The channel's schedule is a pretty sorry state. Repeat after repeat after repeat and randomly slotting in Northern Irish sport programmes in recent months. Not to mention the reappearance of Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps reruns and EastEnders repeats.  Is it 2023 or 2003?

Bringing the channel back to linear was ill-judged and counter to what the BBC argues most of the rest of the time, that this target audience largely lives online.

The schedule is not strong and what original programming there is doesn't seem to be making much of an impact.  Original content would perhaps be better off shared between BBC One/Two and online.

I still believe that the BBC has made the right choice in bringing BBC Three back, research also proved that the online move was a flop, it was proven that moving channels online only does NOT work, if the schedule is not strong then this is another matter

[Clean Feed]

And as the Deadline article states, BBC Three has failed to make much of an impact since returning to linear.

The channel's schedule is a pretty sorry state. Repeat after repeat after repeat and randomly slotting in Northern Irish sport programmes in recent months. Not to mention the reappearance of Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps reruns and EastEnders repeats.  Is it 2023 or 2003?

Bringing the channel back to linear was ill-judged and counter to what the BBC argues most of the rest of the time, that this target audience largely lives online.

The schedule is not strong and what original programming there is doesn't seem to be making much of an impact.  Original content would perhaps be better off shared between BBC One/Two and online.

I still believe that the BBC has made the right choice in bringing BBC Three back, research also provled that the online move was a flop, it was proven that moving channels online only does NOT work, if the schedule is not strong then this is another matter

The BBC Three move to online and the consequences of that decision does not definitively prove that moving linear channels online will always fail.  There are a multitude of parameters at play.

[Roger Darthwell]

I still believe that the BBC has made the right choice in bringing BBC Three back, research also provled that the online move was a flop, it was proven that moving channels online only does NOT work, if the schedule is not strong then this is another matter

The BBC Three move to online and the consequences of that decision does not definitively prove that moving linear channels online will always fail.  There are a multitude of parameters at play.

Well, if I have to be honest, and I am going to quote both Allanbuzzy and interestednovice here if the concept of FAST channels as we know them had come into the mainstream back in 2016 then BBC Three could have worked as a FAST channel, if you remember Clean Feed, all the promos back then were around how BBC Three was moving online when in reality all it’s programmes were simply dumped on the iPlayer and there was a token attempt to promote them through a few pages on social media, and that was it, it was hardly an “online service” at all.
Also we have to bear in mind that with BBC Three's closure the BBC was left with loads of empty bandwidth, and they didn't save anything on that aspect. As you said there are indeed a multitude of parameters at play