The BBC's announcement that it will close three of its linear broadcast channels - BBC Three, BBC Scotland and Radio 4 Extra - makes sense financially. BBC Three's most popular show on Monday night was a repeat of an old episode of Top Gear. Around 77,000 people tuned in.
BBC Scotland's TV channel was watched, according to this year's annual report, by a weekly average of 12% of the Scottish population. Scots simply aren't tuning in in the numbers to make it cost-effective. (Fascinatingly, BBC Alba, which is aimed at Gaelic speakers and learners, reached 43% of Scots weekly - was it boosted by its rights to broadcast Italian football's Serie A, with the commentary mainly in Gaelic?) It's hard to argue - although no doubt some will - that there is a business case for keeping BBC Scotland's TV channel open. The same goes for BBC Three, although the hokey cokey that has gone on with that channel - launched to fanfare in 2003, later made digital-only, then brought back to linear in 2022, now back online only again - has looked indecisive.
But the bigger picture is that viewers and listeners are already migrating online - increasingly finding the BBC's programmes not via those linear TV and radio channels but on iPlayer, BBC Sounds, and, more recently, YouTube. So that's the business case - and the BBC needs to save £500m over the next three years. That figure is concentrating minds.
But axing the three linear channels is a drop in the ocean financially. I understand it will save less than £10m in total per year. Last year the BBC spent £42m creating content for BBC Scotland.
It still plans to create many of those shows for iPlayer - and BBC Two in Scotland will be reconfigured to deliver Scotland-only programming. The part of BBC Three that commissions programmes will actually get more money to spend on creating content aimed specifically at 16-34s (with a core focus on the 16-25s). This was the network that commissioned Normal People, Fleabag, Killing Eve - programmes of quality and wide appeal.
There's also been a recent announcement of commissions dreamt up specifically for YouTube - to reach those 16-24s who the BBC (and other public service broadcasters) find so difficult to lure to their own platforms. Many of Radio 4 Extra's programmes will also still be on BBC Sounds. If you listen to the Daily Service, first broadcast in 1928 and the longest-running programme of its kind anywhere in the world, you will still be able to find it.
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