BBC Three is blasted as a ‘waste of licence fee payer money’ as it returns to TV
‘What a total waste of licence fee money!’ Furious viewers blast the return of BBC Three to TV – and say funding downmarket programmes like Eating With My Ex and The Fast and The Farmerish is ‘wasteful’
Viewers are divided as BBC Three returns to TV tonight after six years off airSome are excited to see RuPaul’s Drag Race and Eating With My Ex on screens But others question if young people will tune in and say it’s a poor use of money
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Furious viewers blasted the BBC ahead of the return of BBC Three to TV tonight, slamming the move a ‘total waste of money’ and a ‘misuse of the licence fee’.
The channel, which is targeted at the highly coveted 18-25 year old demographic, was moved to an online-only offering on iPlayer in March 2016, in a bid to save the Corporation £30million a year.
The channel is behind shows like Fleabag and Gavin and Stacey but is best known for its down-market reality TV offering, with programmes like Eating With My Ex and Sun, Sex and Suspicious Parents.
Planned new programmes include The Fast And The Farmerish, a reality competition about young farmers racing tractors.
Dozens of outraged viewers took to Twitter today to lambast the BBC for bringing back BBC Three, with one posting: ‘Total waste of money. Misuse of the license fee from the old and retired. Cancel this channel. We don’t need this wasteful programming.’
Another posted: ‘Bringing back #bbcthree just full of repeats utter big step backwards & added costs. @BBC can’t rely on the outdated licence fee forever needs to find new funding ways! bbc3 online only was actually step in right direction! Old stuffy BBC yet again! Stuck in the past!’
Viewers are divided as BBC Three returns to TV tonight after six years off air. New shows include The Fast and The Farmerish, pictured, about young farmers racing tractors
Dozens of viewers have hailed the channel’s return but others question why it is necessary
It will return to screens at 7pm tonight after it was given the green light by broadcasting regulator Ofcom in November.
The watchdog said the relaunch would help the BBC reach younger viewers, particularly those from lower-income homes and those living outside London and the South East.
The channel will kick off with a BBC Three Launch Party, followed by a double bill of reality TV show Eating With My Ex and the premiere of RuPaul spin-off show RuPaul’s Drag Race: UK Versus the World.
Dozens of viewers have hailed the channel’s return, with one tweeting: ‘This has been a long time coming but tonight after nearly 7 years #BBCThree is back on the proper tellybox here’s to the next generation of iconic shows like the many that sprang out of the original version of the channel.’
However others questioned the need for BBC Three, pointing out many 16-25 year olds favour streaming services over TV channels and so wouldn’t be tuning in to watch.
The channel will kick off with a BBC Three Launch Party, followed by a double bill of reality TV show Eating With My Ex and the premiere of RuPaul spin-off show RuPaul’s Drag Race: UK Versus the World, pictured
Some questioned the need for BBC Three, pointing out many 16-25 year olds favour streaming services over TV channels and so wouldn’t be tuning in to watch
Others questioned whether the channel’s shows – which will include Fast and the Farmerish, a reality competition about tractor racing – are a fair use of licence fee payer money.
One tweeted: ‘Totally waste of money. Misuse of the license fee from the old and retired. Cancel this channel. We don’t need this wasteful programming.’
A third added: ‘What universe do they think they can get young people to watch live tv. And if you are young and watching live tv, wtf is wrong with you #BBCThree.’
Other viewers are excited about the channel’s return to TV and can’t wait to tune in
BBC Three will air from 7pm every night on Freeview, Sky, Virgin and Freesat, and will also be available on iPlayer.
According to the broadcaster, the channel will be a ‘multi-genre offering’, where audiences can expect a ‘rich content mix of drama, comedy, entertainment, documentaries, news and sport’.
The BBC announced in March 2014 that it was planning to move the channel online, sparking a protest outside Broadcasting House.
More than 300,000 people signed a petition to save it on change.org, but it ceased operations in 2016 and was replaced by an online-only version available on iPlayer
Ofcom stipulated the BBC must ensure that at least ’75 per cent of hours broadcast each year must be original programmes’, as commissioned by the corporation for a UK viewing audience.
