If BBC Three goes, BBC Four would have to be rebranded. Otherwise what would be point of having channel names with numbers in them if one of the middle numbers is removed?
Apparently, 3 is odds on to go. Although I will be sorry for the staff and programme makers for 3, BBC4 is the epitome of what the BBC and public service broadcasting should be like.
BBC4 should stay. Your thoughts?
Both could be cut in my opinion. Although if I had to choose my preference would be bye bye three, I'm not so sure BBC4 is the epitome of what the BBC should be. These high quality PSB programmes should be on a channel with wider appeal (BBC2) not ghettoised on BBC4.
In terms on BBC3 being unique and BBC2&4 similar - the BBC2 that I remember (pre digital) was a pretty much a mix of 3&4. You'd have the high brow but you'd also have a lot of younger skewing shows too.
I would say BBC Four should go. The programmes could go to BBC Two, and this would eliminate the 'rebrand BBC Four, BBC Three' issue. If BBC Three went, the BBC would not be serving the youth audience well enough. BBC Three also gets a higher share than Four, which is another reason why Four should go.
And talking of audience share it won't go of course literally due to the politics involved but as I doubt even MPs bother watching BBC Parliament I think considering the red button has shifted focus to the Connected Red Button there would be a strong argument to scrap BBC Parliament and instead make Democracy Live available via the Connected Red Button.
Talking of saving money I read the other day in the reports on Sky's fees that the BBC pay, and will continue to pay £37,500 a year for each regional variant on the Freesat EPG and will continue to pay for similar service on Sky. Is there any reason why they all need to be listed when ITV just list the one alternative region?
I believe the way that the Sky EPG works means they would still need EPG slots for all their channels, even if the majority of them were hidden for most viewers. I expect ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5 and Sky only hide the regions to make sure people see the right adverts.
What really needs to happen is the BBC, ITV and perhaps Channel 4 get together and refuse to pay the Sky EPG fees. Sky would have to back down and let them have the 'service' for free.
Although as has been said BBC Four programmes could be shown on BBC Two quite easily, if BBC Four was axed there would be shouts of dumbing down, and important people would shout the loudest.
If BBC Three was axed, nobody important would be allowed to complain, as there is the overarching opinion from the press that all they show is rubbish. Complaints would be via hashtags rather than questions in the house,
Neither will go. I cannot believe people are falling for this again after the 6 Music media campaign and the BBC news website threat. The BBC are just starting their licence fee renewal campaign early and borrowing some of Mark Thompsons PR masterstrokes. A week after Tony Hall's last pleaded poverty he spent 40m a year on FA Cup rights!
BBC are obsessed with 'the next generation' of licence fee payers, not a hope in hell Three goes.
Like 6 music it make zero sense to axe BBC4 a channel with a tiny budget. But their viewers are very loyal and will campaign to save them. The BBC are basically trolling and reminding MPs that people love their services.
So they should ignore the people paying the licence fee at the moment, in favour of people who might pay it in the future?
Children and young adults who don't pay the licence fee already have THREE channels.
If you worked by the same logic you wouldn't have schools or children's wards in hospitals. It's the licence payers that turn over to Cbeebies and parents who pay licence fee do so on behalf of the whole household and would expect some provision for their children.
The BBC needs to assume all viewers are in licence fee paying households and I'm sure the rules over watching TV online will be tightened up soon to include on demand content from the BBC.
CBBC and Cbeebies share their transponders with BBC three and BBC Four, so closing a numbered channel means also closing a kids one. That's just not happening. Full stop.