‘It deserves the widest possible audience’: BBC Three is poised to return as a TV channel in January following success of hit shows Fleabag and Normal People
BBC Three will return as an official TV channel in January, six years after it was remodeled as an online streaming service.
The digital channel has been buoyed by the enormous success of shows such as Fleabag, Killing Eve and last year’s Normal People, an adaptation of Sally Rooney’s bestselling novel.
Starring previous unknowns Paul Mescal and Daisy Edgar Jones, the millennial love story became the most watched BBC show of 2020, amassing 62 million views.
Welcome back: BBC Three is poised to return as an official TV channel in January, six years after it was remodeled as an online streaming service, largely due to the success of shows such as Normal People
As a TV channel it will be aimed at a marginally younger 16-34 demographic, with shows airing between 7:00pm and 4:00am on a daily basis.
The decision means CBBC will revert to its 2016 schedule by going off air at 7:00pm, two hours short of its current 9:00pm close.
It’s understood that the move will potentially save the network £30million a year and help to reduce financial outgoings following the announcement of government imposed cuts.
Big hit: The Phoebe Waller-Bridge hit Fleabag has helped win BBC Three millions of views
Essential viewing: Starring previous unknowns Paul Mescal and Daisy Edgar Jones, millennial love story Normal People became the most watched BBC show of 2020, amassing 62 million views
Research conducted in 2020 suggested there was a case for it to return as a terrestrial channel.
However its mooted revival has been branded a ‘failure’ to young viewers by MP Julian Knight, chairman for the select committee for the department for digital, culture, media and sport (DCMS)
Defending the decision, BBC chief content officer, Charlotte Moore explained: ‘BBC Three is a BBC success story, backing creativity, new talent, and brave ideas has resulted in hit after hit, from Fleabag and Man Like Mobeen, Ru Paul’s Drag Race UK and Jesy Nelson’s Odd One Out, to Normal People and This Country.
On target: Killing Eve, starring Jodie Comer, has also been a popular draw for the digital channel
I say: Ru Paul’s Drag Race quickly turned into a must watch show for the BBC
‘The BBC needs to back success and make sure its programmes reach as many young people as possible wherever they live in the UK.
‘So, regardless of debates about the past, we want to give BBC Three its own broadcast channel again.
‘It has exciting, groundbreaking content that deserves the widest possible audience, and using iPlayer alongside a broadcast channel will deliver the most value.’