>The BBC is considering the case for bringing back BBC Three as a regular TV channel, four years after it was taken off air and moved online. The youth channel, which commissioned hits like Normal People and Fleabag, will also have its budget doubled.
>It left linear TV in 2016 to save £30m, and because the corporation said young people were watching more shows online. The BBC now says it is "considering the case" for returning the channel to "linear television". A BBC spokesman said "we'd be wrong not to back a service that is doing better than anyone could have ever conceived". The turnaround will be formally announced as part of the BBC's annual plan on Wednesday, but there was no news about the fate of BBC Four, which has been rumoured for the axe.
There's lots of rumours at the moment that BBC Four will either become a repeats channel or be hived off into some international market channel. I guess the focus of the BBC these days is producing buying shit that nobody will watch.
"Rich archive" almost sounds promising, but I get the feeling it'll just be last weeks whatever the fuck rather than anything interesting from the way-way back. They're definitely trying to keep this quiet so as not to repeat the 6 Music shenanigans from a few years ago.
It's an excellent channel, and I'll be sad to see it go if it does. Where else can I indulge in some Scandiwegian noir, classic TOTP, Storyville and Arena, "Handmade in x", Dr. Fox/Sooke/Ramirez/Willis/et. al. documentaries? The news output, though small, is worth watching too.
I've noticed the output of new documentaries has slowed down this past couple of years, to the point where a lot is just repeats, or is it that I just jump on watching them as soon as they come out?
In any case, it's the sort of channel BBC2 used to be back in the day, and losing that would be losing the entire point of the BBC to educate, inform, entertain. Are there currently any campaigns to make the grandees working for Auntie Beeb reconsider?
>I've noticed the output of new documentaries has slowed down this past couple of years, to the point where a lot is just repeats, or is it that I just jump on watching them as soon as they come out?
Over the last ten years, the BBC's budget has been cut by more than £1.3bn. It's hard to justify filming a documentary when a gameshow would get the same viewing figures for 5% of the cost.
>>23167 How much does the Corporation make from its global wing then? Selling syndication rights to things like Doctor Who and Clarkson-era silly Top Gear must be worth a fair bit and easily cover the cost of cheap quiz shows that have been a thing for 20 odd years. If there's going to be any review of funding, what could reasonably be assumed if the Corporation introduces a digital only license? I can think of a fair few negatives, mostly privacy issues and the associated costs of administrating and maintaining whatever system is decided on.
It's a bit late now, I'll more than likely be back when it isn't dark.
>>23167 I don't need to pay the license fee, but I'd happily pay a tax or pay the license fee every month if that doggy diarrhea stained pile of rancid camel cum compnay "TV Licensing" wasn't involved.
>>23167 The annoying thing is I'd pay the licensce fee every month but "TV Licensing" can die on a doggy diarrhea dappled pile of rancid camel cum. I'd much rather the BBC be funded by an NI style tax.
