BBC channel closures: BBC Three, BBC Scotland and Radio 4 Extra to go next spring
BBC Three and BBC Scotland will close as TV channels and move online, while Radio 4 Extra will be scrapped, in the spring, as part of BBC channel closures driving towards £500m in savings.
BBC channel closures: BBC Three, BBC Scotland and Radio 4 Extra to go next spring
Which services are closing
The BBC is shutting three of its outlets as part of a continuing drive to cut £500m in costs. BBC Three and BBC Scotland will close as TV channels and move online, and the Radio 4 Extra station will be scrapped. All three will go in the spring.
- BBC Scotland's audience was judged too low to justify its cost. Its content will remain available on iPlayer and on BBC One and BBC Two in Scotland.
- Radio 4 Extra is closing because much of its content can be heard on BBC Sounds. The station drew 1.4 million listeners a week in the most recent Rajar data.
BBC Three's second closure
For BBC Three the decision is a repeat. The linear channel was moved online in 2016, brought back in 2022, and will now shut again. The channel, aimed at young audiences, launched shows including Gavin and Stacey, Fleabag and Killing Eve. Typically about 4% of the UK population watch it live in a week.
Alongside the closure the BBC promised increased investment in content for younger audiences. It has already cancelled the high-profile BBC Three show RuPaul's Drag Race UK.
Why the BBC is cutting
Director general Matt Brittin said the corporation needed to make every pound work harder for audiences while responding to cost pressures and reinventing the BBC.
"We all know that means tough choices," he said.
The programme is far from finished. BBC insiders said the corporation is not halfway to its £500m savings target, with only about £200m cut so far. The cuts follow serious financial challenges, with cash revenues falling sharply over the last year. Brittin has said he was not fully aware of the pressures when he took the job earlier this year. In a note to staff, he said it takes time to develop proposals that focus scarcer resources on the most impactful shows, stories and services.
Criticism and what comes next
The plans have drawn criticism from inside the corporation. Many staff fear the BBC is targeting public service content that commercial rivals would never replicate. Brittin has faced questions from staff about whether managers' jobs are being protected; he and deputy Rhodri Talfan Davies have insisted all levels of the organisation will share the burden of the savings drive.
Changes already under way across the BBC include:
- The World Tonight on Radio 4 is being axed after more than 50 years, and consumer affairs show You and Yours is among Radio 4 shows to be replaced by a new format.
- Some freelance foreign correspondents have been cut, local correspondents are being reduced and asked to become general reporters, local radio is becoming more regional, and sports bulletins have been cut from the BBC News channel.
- The BBC faced a backlash from politicians and The Archers staff and crew over a decision not to build a planned radio drama studio for the show in its new Birmingham headquarters.
Further major changes to BBC News have been delayed until new head of news Rachel Jupp draws up a strategy focused on boosting digital platforms including YouTube, TikTok, apps and iPlayer.
