BBC Three, BBC Scotland and Radio 4 Extra channels to close

BBC Three, BBC Scotland and Radio 4 Extra broadcast channels to close

BBC

The BBC is to close its BBC Three and BBC Scotland television channels in the spring, as the corporation continues to make £500m of savings over two years.

Both services will become online-only, meaning they will continue to produce and host some content on iPlayer, without the need to fill a terrestrial TV schedule.

The BBC has also announced the closure of Radio 4 Extra, which largely airs speech programmes from the BBC’s archive, including comedy, drama and documentaries.

BBC director-general Matt Brittin said: “We need to make every pound work harder for audiences as we respond to the immediate cost pressures and reinvent the BBC for a changing world. We all know that means tough choices.”

• Katie Razzall: Closures make business sense, but more savings are needed

Discussing the closure of linear broadcast services, Brittin said: “Much of the great content they currently carry will still be found where audiences already enjoy them on iPlayer and Sounds.

“While this follows media speculation, I recognise the confirmation of this news will be hard for audiences and colleagues.”

Outlining the plans, the corporation confirmed:

• BBC Scotland will remain a channel on iPlayer, with some content also broadcast on BBC One and BBC Two in Scotland

• BBC Three commissions, supported by increased investment in content for younger audiences, will be available on BBC iPlayer and on other platforms including YouTube

• Some programmes that air on Radio 4 Extra will be available on BBC Sounds – while its religious programme The Daily Service will be on BBC Sounds and local radio

BBC/Toffee International Ltd/Tom Jackson

BBC Three, which is aimed at young audiences and launched hits such as Fleabag, Normal People and Gavin & Stacey, previously moved online in 2016, but was reinstated as a TV channel in 2022.

BBC Scotland launched as a channel in 2019, broadcasting a variety of Scottish programming including news, sport, documentaries and entertainment.

However, some of the shows that air on the two networks, such as Two Doors Down on BBC Scotland and Sort Your Life Out on BBC Three, are repeats of episodes originally broadcast on other more mainstream BBC channels.

Both networks currently only broadcast TV programming in the evenings, although BBC Scotland simulcasts BBC Radio Scotland during the rest of the day.

The BBC said that the network’s nightly programme Reporting Scotland: News at Seven will not move to BBC iPlayer and will cease when the linear channel closes.

Audiences will continue to be served by BBC Scotland’s wider news offering, including Reporting Scotland, The Sunday Show, Radio Scotland Breakfast, Debate Night and Scotcast, the corporation said.

While Radio 4 Extra does air some original programming, its schedule is predominantly made up of archive content, much of which is available on BBC Sounds.

Sir Peter Bazalgette, former chairman of ITV and production company Endemol, told BBC News: “This is a modest and pretty well-judged package.

“The essence of it is it protects the spending on content, it really cuts money in the distribution of programmes, and it really had to happen because the BBC has lost 30% of its revenue in 10 years.”

But entertainment trade union Equity said Tuesday’s announcement “does not signal a thriving BBC, and we are concerned about the UK’s preeminent public service broadcaster’s ability to meet its duties to the fullest”.

Affected staff were told about the changes on Tuesday, although the proposed closure of BBC Scotland and BBC Three had been reported by some media outlets in recent weeks.

The BBC is aiming to cut between 1,800 and 2,000 jobs – almost one in 10 – in an attempt to save £500m over two years as it faces “significant financial pressures”.

Around 550 job closures have already been announced in news, while more than 30 job cuts have so far been announced for BBC Sport.

The newly appointed director of BBC News, Rachel Jupp, announced on Tuesday that a further £5.5m of savings were being proposed, which would represent the closure of around 100 roles.

Meanwhile, several high-profile BBC TV series have been cancelled altogether in recent weeks.

RuPaul’s Drag Race UK, Blankety Blank, Celebrity Mastermind, Live at the Apollo, Football Focus, Ski Sunday and Radio 4’s The World Tonight and You & Yours are among the programmes the BBC has dropped so far.