"We need to make every pound work harder for audiences"
The BBC is to close its BBC Three and BBC Scotland television channels in spring 2027, with both services moving online as the corporation continues a £500 million cost-cutting drive over two years.
Radio 4 Extra will also close as a broadcast channel, with its programming remaining available through BBC Sounds.
Both channels will become online-only, meaning they will continue to produce and host some content on iPlayer.
BBC director-general Matt Brittin said: “We need to make every pound work harder for audiences as we respond to the immediate cost pressures and reinvent the BBC for a changing world. We all know that means tough choices.
“Much of the great content they currently carry will still be found where audiences already enjoy them on iPlayer and Sounds.
“While this follows media speculation, I recognise the confirmation of this news will be hard for audiences and colleagues.”
Outlining the plans, the corporation confirmed:
- BBC Scotland will remain a channel on iPlayer, with some content also broadcast on BBC One and BBC Two in Scotland.
- BBC Three commissions, supported by increased investment in content for younger audiences, will be available on BBC iPlayer and on other platforms including YouTube.
- Programmes from Radio 4 Extra will be available on BBC Sounds, while its religious programme The Daily Service will be on BBC Sounds and local radio.
BBC Three, which targets younger audiences, has helped launch successful comedies including Fleabag and Gavin & Stacey.
The channel originally moved online in 2016 before returning to linear television in 2022, making its latest planned closure another change in the BBC’s approach to reaching younger viewers.
BBC Scotland launched in 2019 and broadcasts a range of Scottish programming, including news, sport, documentaries and entertainment.
Both BBC Three and BBC Scotland currently show television programmes primarily in the evenings, although BBC Scotland simulcasts BBC Radio Scotland outside those hours.
However, some of their schedules feature repeats of programmes originally broadcast on other BBC channels, including Two Doors Down on BBC Scotland and Sort Your Life Out on BBC Three.
The closure of BBC Scotland’s linear service will also affect its nightly news programme Reporting Scotland: News at Seven, which the BBC confirmed will cease when the channel closes rather than move to iPlayer.
The corporation said audiences would continue to have access to BBC Scotland’s wider news output, including Reporting Scotland, The Sunday Show, Radio Scotland Breakfast, Debate Night and Scotcast.
Radio 4 Extra, meanwhile, primarily broadcasts archive material from the BBC, including comedy, drama and documentaries, although its schedule also features some original programming.
Much of its content is already available through BBC Sounds, where programmes will remain accessible following the channel’s closure.
Entertainment trade union Equity criticised the announcement, saying it “does not signal a thriving BBC, and we are concerned about the UK’s preeminent public service broadcaster’s ability to meet its duties to the fullest”.
Affected staff were informed of the changes on Tuesday, following weeks of media speculation about the proposed closures of BBC Three and BBC Scotland.
The announcement comes as the BBC seeks to cut between 1,800 and 2,000 jobs, equivalent to almost one in 10 of its workforce, as part of its plan to save £500m over two years.
Around 550 job closures have already been announced across BBC News, while more than 30 job cuts have been confirmed at BBC Sport.
Rachel Jupp, the newly appointed director of BBC News, also announced that a further £5.5m in savings was being proposed, potentially resulting in the closure of around 100 roles.
The corporation has also cancelled or temporarily rested several television programmes in recent weeks as it looks to reduce costs.
RuPaul’s Drag Race UK, Blankety Blank, Celebrity Mastermind, Live at the Apollo, Football Focus and Ski Sunday are among the shows dropped so far, while formats including DIY SOS have been temporarily rested.
