BBC Three

BBC Three is a British television channel operated by the BBC. First broadcasting on 9 February 2003 as a replacement for BBC Choice, the service's remit is to provide programming to a target audience of viewers between 16 and 34 years old, and to provide "innovative" content to younger audiences by leveraging new talent and technologies. The channel is

Unlike its commercial rivals, 90% of BBC Three's output is from the United Kingdom. 70% is original, covering all genres, including animation, comedy, current affairs, and drama. BBC Three has a unique 60 Seconds format for its news bulletins, adopted so that operation of the channel could be completely automated, without the complication of dealing with variable length live news broadcasts. The former controller of the station, Zai Bennett, left to join Sky Atlantic in July 2014, at which point BBC Three commissioner Sam Bickley became acting controller.

Until February 2016, the network broadcast on Freeview, digital cable, IPTV and Satellite television platforms, and was on-air from 7 pm to around 4 am each night to share terrestrial television bandwidth with CBBC. In March 2014, as a result of a planned £100 million budget cut across the BBC, it was proposed that BBC Three be discontinued as a television service, and be converted to an over-the-top internet television service with a lower programming budget and a focus on short-form productions. Despite signifigant public opposition, the proposal was provisionally approved by the BBC Trust in June 2015, with a new consultation open until 30 September of that year. The closure was confirmed in November 2015, with the TV channel to cease broadcasting in the early hours of 16 February 2016.