User:ViperSnake151/BBC Three

BBC Three is an upcoming British internet television service operated by the BBC, which will launch 16 February 2016. It is a replacement for the linear BBC Three television channel, which will be discontinued the same day due to budget cuts.

The new BBC Three is viewed as a multi-platform service; content will primarily be streamed on BBC iPlayer, and feature a mixture of full-length programs as well as other short-form content. BBC Three-branded content will also be distributed via social networks, and the service's long-form series will be required to have encore airings on the linear BBC One or BBC Two channels at some point following their online premiere.

History
In February 2014, BBC Director-General Tony Hall announced that cuts of £100 million would have to be made at the corporation; Hall threatened that the corporation could be forced to close one of its television services as a cost-savings measure. On 5 March 2014, as part of a larger set, Hall announced a proposal to convert BBC Three to an online-only service, with an almost 50% cut to its programming budget, and a larger emphasis of. There was notable backlash for the measures, with celebrities including Greg James, Matt Lucas and Jack Whitehall speaking out. A petition against the move on change.org has gathered over 300,000 signatures. However, there was some support from media commentators, and those who back a "slimmer" BBC.

After the BBC Trust's approval of the change, it was later revealed that BBC Three would cease as a television service after 15 February 2016, with the launch of the new digital BBC Three the following day. On 4 January 2016, the service's logo was unveiled. Inspired by the iconography of mobile applications, the new logo incorporates the roman numeral for the number 3, with the third bar replaced by an exclamation mark. Marketing head Nikki Carr explained that the three bars represented the three principles of BBC Three as a service; making viewers "think", "laugh", and have a voice.

BBC Three controller Damian Kavanagh explained that the service would feature the "same award-winning programmes freed from the constraints of linear TV", emphasizing the ability to distribute content across "whatever format and platform is most appropriate". Hall described the internal atmosphere surrounding the new BBC Three as being like a "startup", explaining that "I love the feeling of going and being with Damian's team. It feels creative, energetic and mischievous as well, just as it should be." He also emphasized a continued goal to use the service as an incubator for new talent, hoping that it will be remembered as "the place that spotted the next James Corden, the next Aidan Turner, the next whoever."

Content
The service will feature a mixture of full-length programs and short-form content. It will also feature The Best Of and The Daily Drop sections; The Best Of will feature a mixture of full-length programs, short films, and other new content, while The Daily Drop will primarily feature blogs, videos, photo galleries, and trending content. BBC Three will also Programs from the former BBC Three channel will be carried over, including new series of Cuckoo and Life and Death Row. All BBC Three long-form programs will be aired at a later date on BBC One or BBC Two. New programs to debut through BBC Three will include the Doctor Who spin-off Class, the new dramas Clique and Thirteen, Live from the BBC—a stand-up comedy series focusing on up and coming comedians, and Unsolved: The Boy Who Disappeared—promoted as being a British equivalent to the web series Serial—will feature weekly installments investigating a real-life crime mystery. The service will also produce a series of short films in collaboration with Idris Elba and up and coming talent.