There is little appetite among viewers for the BBC’s controversial proposal to close its BBC3 TV channel, the corporation has admitted, but there is excitement at the prospect of it being replaced by BBC1+1.
The new timeshifted channel is part of a package of proposals that was submitted to the BBC Trust on Tuesday as the corporation outlined its case for making BBC3 online-only as the “least worst option”.
However, the BBC was also forced to issue a statement on Tuesday saying BBC3 was “not for sale because it’s not closing”, after MediaGuardian revealed a bid to save the TV channel by independent producers Jon Thoday and Jimmy Mulville.
The closure of the 12-year-old youth channel will save around £50m a year, much of which will be pumped into BBC1 drama. But the online service’s budget will be halved, to £30m.
Even though its budget will be slashed, BBC3’s diminished audience when it moves online will mean its cost per user will soar to 23p per user per hour, up from 6.9p in 2013/14.
It will make it by some distance the most expensive BBC service per user, compared to 6p per user per hour for BBC1, 8.2p for BBC2, 6.7p for BBC4, and 15.4p per user per hour for children’s channel CBBC in 2013/14.
The savings will also be spent on a rejuvenated BBC3 digital offering based around the BBC iPlayer, as well as the new BBC1+1 channel and two extra hours of CBBC.
The BBC said the closure of the channel, which currently has a 1.5% share of viewing during its broadcast hours, would inevitably see the corporation’s reach shrink further, particularly among younger viewers.
But it will be compensated for by BBC1+1, which will repeat BBC1 shows an hour later and is forecast to have a 1.6% share of the audience by 2017. The increase in the iPlayer’s share of the audience is predicted to be minimal, just 0.03%.
The reach of BBC services is in decline across the board, with the average amount of time people spent with the BBC down 44 minutes a week over the last four years. It is most marked among 16 to 24-year-olds, down 85 minutes a week.
Research commissioned by the BBC said BBC3 was “highly valued” by its audience delivering against an “audience mood” rather than specific content needs.
There were “significant concerns” among its audience about the switch to online with viewers predicting that “quality and quantity will fall”, according to the research.
Others worried that “online access is not universal … Isn’t the BBC’s strength on-air not online?”.
The BBC, in its submission to the trust, said: “Not surprisingly, the reinvention of BBC3 online was not popular with audiences (particularly BBC3 viewers) suggesting that audiences are ‘loss averse’ i.e. they care more about losses than gains,” said the research.
“The biggest single reason for positive responses to the proposals as a package was the inclusion of a +1 channel for BBC1. Respondents also recognised that reductions to services were necessary in the current financial climate.”
The BBC said audience figures for BBC3 had been in decline in recent years and viewers did not think it was as good or distinctive as it used to be.
Shows such as Snog Marry Avoid have been a lightning rod for criticism of the channel but another factual entertainment format, Don’t Tell The Bride, will move to BBC1 as part of the plans.
BBC3 has also attracted plaudits – and a Bafta – for its documentary series about the conflict in Afghanistan, Our War.
The BBC, seeking to justify the closure of the youth-oriented channel, said 16 to 24-year-olds were watching 14% less TV than four years ago. Non-linear TV is growing, accounting for 28% of average daily viewing among 16-24s, expected to rise by 40% by 2020.
The BBC said: “The alternative of not closing BBC3 would have been the closure of another service (or other services) with a greater impact on overall audience performance given the lack of commensurate mitigation options.”
The new-look BBC3 will seek to hold on to its current comedy commissioning budget but homegrown drama will be slashed with a reliance on overseas shows.
The BBC said: “Our analysis suggests that closing BBC3 will result in a reduction in the amount of time 16-34 year olds spend with the BBC; this is inevitable given we are closing a service.
“However, our projections show that over time this loss should be largely addressed as BBC3 online gains more traction, in addition to the mitigation from BBC1+1 and the changes to BBC iPlayer.” The BBC said the closure was “in the long-term strategic interests of the BBC”.
“The decision to close BBC3 has been driven by financial necessity. The BBC could have chosen to further ‘salami slice’ the budgets of our other services, but continuing down this path would risk depressing the performance of our TV services,” it said. “So closing BBC3 is the ‘least worst’ option, particularly given that BBC Three audiences are the most likely to make the transition online.”
