TV Home Forum

BBC Three Closure

Ooops, I mean "Goes Online" (February 2016)

This site closed in March 2021 and is now a read-only archive
SC
scottishtv Founding member
Oh my goodness. They are pretending that uploading recorded programmes to the iPlayer is now a "live event" that warrants a live blog, complete with Live Coverage tab.

It's all going well too:

*
Sad

EDIT: Maybe all the EastEnders fans have overloaded the site...


Last edited by scottishtv on 16 February 2016 8:20pm
SW
Steve Williams
tikitaka posted:
Do the BBC think that people are really going to watch this instead of Vice, or indeed any decent Youtube channel?


Well, you could argue that about any channel, website or anything. Why wouldn't they? If they have programmes on it that people want to watch then they will. They've got people like Stacey Dooley and Tyger Drew-Honey on it who people know and like and they have the budget to make rather bigger programmes than your average YouTube channel. And why do they need to watch it instead of Vice? They can watch it in addition to it.

Andrew posted:
The Radio Times is also being misleading suggesting that the drop to about 3 hours of new content a week is actually barely a cut, because in recent weeks/months the linear channel hasn't had much more than 3 hours of new content.

But hasn't the channel been in a run down state for ages now, with limited content as the wheels of the BBC Trust finally deciding what to do run much slower than the programme commissioners?


Well, you can compare the three hours or so it's had recently to what it had ten years ago this week via Genome. How much new British content was it showing in its pomp? http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/schedules/bbcthree/2006-02-11

Saturday - none
Sunday - 1 hour 55 minutes
Monday - 1 hour 30 minutes
Tuesday - 1 hour
Wednesday - 1 hour 30 minutes
Thursday - 1 hour 30 minutes
Friday - 30 minutes

So that's eight hours, the equivalent of just over one hour long show a day. Now bear in mind that in those days the BBC were showing lots more programmes on all channels. They were showing new content on daytime BBC2 and long into the night, for example, because they had lots more money. The BBC have never pretended that they haven't had to make cuts because the licence fee isn't big enough for everything, so yes, there have been fewer BBC3 programmes but you could say the same thing about BBC2, BBC4 and Radio 2, which are not closing down. It also fits in with the BBC's stated remit to do fewer things, but better. So you don't get five episodes a week of Live At Johnny's made for a budget of 50p, for example. So yes, there's less content, but they've never said there wouldn't be. They're not pretending they closed this channel down on a whim.

And in any case, three hours of new British content is pretty much what we get from Sky 1 on a good week, and that's a channel that's coining it in. The other week Sky 1 had one hour of new British content.
LL
Larry the Loafer
Was that actually in EastEnders? That's even worse than what they did when Michael Jackson died.
GL
Gluben
Larry the Loafer posted:
Gluben posted:
So (when) do we think BBC4 will go the same way?


I hope it does, and not for the reasons you'd think. I don't think it deserves the "all it shows is stuff about the war" accusations... not all the time anyway. It's given us gold like Screenwipe and The Thick of It, and I've found some of the dramas like The Kenny Everett Story to be fantastic. There's even a Daft Punk documentary on this Friday that BBC Three's audience would probably appreciate.

But I still don't see why its content can't be shown on BBC Two. I've made this argument before, but I grew up with a BBC Two that had a split personality; it was cultured and sophisticated, yet it was quirky and unhinged. It really did, somehow, pull off being an arts and culture channel while also being a channel for comedy and young adult stuff. It doesn't seem to manage either of them now, and the content on BBC Two is suffering quite a bit because of it. Yes, it has its moments, but if it inherited what would otherwise have been commissioned on BBC Four (or even Three for that matter) we'd end up with a far bolder BBC Two than we have how.

Also I really can't stand the inconsistency of having BBC One, BBC Two, and BBC Four. Don't try and tell me BBC Three still exists and it "doesn't need to be a TV channel for it to be consistent". I've heard that argument before and it's a load of balls. That's like saying ITV1, ITV2 and ITV4 are television channels but ITV3 is a vacuum cleaner.


I completely agree with all of this.
IN
Interceptor
Larry the Loafer posted:
Gluben posted:
So (when) do we think BBC4 will go the same way?


I hope it does, and not for the reasons you'd think. I don't think it deserves the "all it shows is stuff about the war" accusations... not all the time anyway. It's given us gold like Screenwipe and The Thick of It, and I've found some of the dramas like The Kenny Everett Story to be fantastic. There's even a Daft Punk documentary on this Friday that BBC Three's audience would probably appreciate.

But I still don't see why its content can't be shown on BBC Two. I've made this argument before, but I grew up with a BBC Two that had a split personality; it was cultured and sophisticated, yet it was quirky and unhinged. It really did, somehow, pull off being an arts and culture channel while also being a channel for comedy and young adult stuff. It doesn't seem to manage either of them now, and the content on BBC Two is suffering quite a bit because of it. Yes, it has its moments, but if it inherited what would otherwise have been commissioned on BBC Four (or even Three for that matter) we'd end up with a far bolder BBC Two than we have how.

Also I really can't stand the inconsistency of having BBC One, BBC Two, and BBC Four. Don't try and tell me BBC Three still exists and it "doesn't need to be a TV channel for it to be consistent". I've heard that argument before and it's a load of balls. That's like saying ITV1, ITV2 and ITV4 are television channels but ITV3 is a vacuum cleaner.

Christ, never look up the Factory Records catalogue!
Steve Williams, Colorband and ETP1 Forever gave kudos
CO
Colorband
Interceptor posted:
Christ, never look up the Factory Records catalogue!

That's it - give this man an award!
AN
Andrew Founding member
Steve Williams posted:

So yes, there's less content, but they've never said there wouldn't be. They're not pretending they closed this channel down on a whim.

And in any case, three hours of new British content is pretty much what we get from Sky 1 on a good week, and that's a channel that's coining it in. The other week Sky 1 had one hour of new British content.


To be fair, none of the recent publicity has said there is less content. They've basically implied that BBC3 is continuing as currently just online. No need to worry.

Plus apparently it's better for programme makers as they can make programmes at any length not just 30/60 minutes long. They haven't said that that isn't any good if they are only commissioning 2 programmes a week.
RI
Rijowhi
dvboy posted:
There are a few already scheduled, I'll make a list later

Meanwhile they've increased the secret schedule to 3 hours a night from 1am.



Am I the only one who finds this arrangement a farce (as a PSB space)? Couldn't the space from 7pm be readvertised or something instead? Could CBBC/CBeebies be screened all day instead...like the Pop Children's channels?

Mind you I think I'm in the group that feels BBC4 should have been scrapped too in exchange for a more varied 21st Century take on 90's BBC2.
DJGM and Larry the Loafer gave kudos
DV
DVB Cornwall
Disagree about BBC FOUR, it's unique, there's no comparison in it's in depth historical, science and arts material. The BBC Three Bandwidth is to be disposed of, it's on the Trust's agenda. I suspect it won't be released until the Rio Olympics are over though. It's HD space in the post 9pm UK slot, when the evening Rio action will be in full swing, will be invaluable especially for Freeview viewers.
SW
Steve Williams
Andrew posted:
Plus apparently it's better for programme makers as they can make programmes at any length not just 30/60 minutes long. They haven't said that that isn't any good if they are only commissioning 2 programmes a week.


But they're also doing the short form content as well. There's currently a Stacey Dooley "programme" available which is 20 minutes long. Shorter than a programme, longer than a news item, and not counted in those "two programmes a week".
LL
Larry the Loafer
If anybody's interested in seeing BBC Three's majestic and dignified bowing out...



I must admit, I expected a little more from a barker channel. Even if that "Let's Go There" promo just played on a loop with a caption at the bottom, it'd probably be a better use of airtime than 25 yawning dogs.

EDIT: Or is it a stupid pun on "barker" channel?

EDIT II: They are now showing a collection of trailers, guides on how to watch programmes, and quick Q&A things.

EDIT II!: The "secret BBC Three" kicked off a little after 1am complete with ident and CA explaining they've moved online, "and here right now, it's Gavin and Stacey".
Last edited by Larry the Loafer on 17 February 2016 1:04am - 3 times in total
DJ
DJGM
Jon posted:

DJGM posted:

So that's it then. BBC Three is now dead. Effectively dead at least. Time to remove BBC Four from the EPG of both my main TV set and my YouView box. With BBC Three gone, BBC Four is now surplus to requirements.


What? That makes no sense at all, how does your need for BBC Four change?


Since I've hardly ever watched much of BBC Four's output, and most of what I have watched has been via BBC iPlayer, so as far as I'm concerned, now that BBC Three is basically dead, BBC Four is surplus to requirements. To me at least, and I would hazard a guess there are others that feel the same way. Until at least BBC Four gets rebranded with a new non-numerical name.


What makes no sense at all is the fact that there is still a channel called BBC Four available on ordinary TV, while the now effectively dead BBC Three TV channel has been relegated to little more than a sub-section of BBC iPlayer, and no longer exists on ordinary TV.

Newer posts