BBC3 to become online only
 

The BBC is considering making BBC3 online only as part of cost cutting measures:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-26447089

re: BBC3 to become online only
 

Bad move if you ask me, they should drop BBC4 (& HD for BBC3 &4 if that saves money) first.

re: BBC3 to become online only
 

They should start advertising and stop relying on the licence fee

re: BBC3 to become online only
 

Sounds like something a Daily Mail reader would say. :D

I like watching programmes without adverts and a lot of the BBC output would never be created on a commercial channel

re: BBC3 to become online only
 

They should get rid of the dreadful BBC Parliament channel where we constantly see politicians behaving like children when they should be behaving like responsible adults but alas sadly that's too much to ask.

re: BBC3 to become online only
 

so do I that is why I watch on tivo and skip.

re: BBC3 to become online only
 

How much money would be saved? They still have the cost of making the programmes. More peak time internet demand is going to cause problems.

re: BBC3 to become online only
 

Though less program's would be made if its straight to online only. So can't see that lasting.

re: BBC3 to become online only
 

Still prefer not to have to keep skipping 5 mins of TV every 15 mins or so. Much better to have no ads.

re: BBC3 to become online only
 

Which would cause massive problems for commercial TV, possibly bankrupting several channels (including ITV from what I have heard from people in the industry).

Simple economics.

I mention economics because when you introduce more supply into a market with a fixed size, prices go down. Advertising budgets are finite. They will not suddenly increase because the BBC is accepting advertising.

In short, you would suddenly introduce a far greater supply of advertising space to a market that is already saturated (thanks to hundreds of digital TV and radio channels), and the price (which those companies need to stay relatively high to remain profitable) will crash.

re: BBC3 to become online only
 

Why as there are some useful programmes on there sometimes that appeal to different groups.

re: BBC3 to become online only
 

the the companies that seem to keep adding crap channels do not seem to be worrying to much about that economic formula. I would welcome a cull of the crap channels as well as dropping the tv licence.

re: BBC3 to become online only
 

One major cost will be carriage. I shouldn't think for a second that Sky, Virgin and the companies that transmit Freeview carry the BBC's channels (beyond 1 and 2 which I believe they are required to carry) for free.

---------- Post added at 11:00 ---------- Previous post was at 10:56 ----------

So would I welcome a cull of the crap channels. The problem is that introducing a small channel that serves maybe 5-600,000 viewers will not adversely affect the market. Introduce a channel that with it's more popular broadcasts can count nearly half the country as viewers, and that impact will be significant.

re: BBC3 to become online only
 

Hope so. I, personally, find the channel offers very little entertainment value for me. Would much rather the BBC spent the potential savings else where.

re: BBC3 to become online only
 

I wish they would fill BBC1 and 2 with decent programming instead of spreading it over 4 channels, cull the news and parliament channel, and perhaps have a dedicated sports/news channel so they don't keep on screwing with the main channels' scheduling.