Policies, guidelines and reports
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Service remit
BBC Three is dedicated to innovative British content and talent aimed primarily at younger audiences. The channel is committed to a mixed schedule of news, current affairs, music, arts, factual knowledge-building content and coverage of international issues, as well as to high-quality, distinctive new drama, comedy and entertainment.
How the service meets each BBC purpose
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Stimulating creativity and cultural excellence
BBC Three is committed to creative innovation, the development of new talent and risk-taking. One of our main aims is to be a major creative test-bed for the BBC and a significant, distinctive contributor to the UK’s creative economy.
We are committed to new British comedy and drama, and regularly feature new and emerging writers, performers and their ideas. We also give established writers and performers the opportunity to try new, different things.
We will continue to seek to create high impact in the schedule in the way we approach our output: from music performance and events to making programmes in a way that draws in younger audiences and helps them to connect with subject matter that they do not normally encounter.
We enjoy a particularly strong relationship with the independent production sector, and we expect to provide a platform for programme-making from outside the BBC and from outside London.
Specifically this year:
- Musical events will include a large-scale, street-level, live music event portraying Christ’s Passion.
- There will be several new British comedies, including Supermodel from a new comedy writer, and I’m with Stupid and Little Miss Jocelyn, which will both feature talent from a diversity of backgrounds.
- The channel will promote talent initiatives in search of the next generation of documentary makers and animators.
- The audience will be invited to participate in a contest to write the lyrics to a pop single in Only Words.
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Measurable commitments
We will provide at least 50 hours of new music and arts programming.
Please also refer to our statutory commitments (at the end of this section) which cover our general commitments to originations, regional production and independent production. |
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Building digital Britain
As a digital-only service with one of the highest levels of programme investment within the BBC, we are at the heart of the BBC’s efforts to build digital Britain.
We are committed to technological innovation and aim to be a leader in embracing new technologies. We employ multiple media platforms to allow audiences to access our content in ways that are relevant and useful to them. We will continue to experiment with the new technologies that are a normal part of our viewers’ lives.
We collaborate with the other BBC television services to promote the benefits of digital, by premiering or offering another chance to view programmes from BBC One or BBC Two, and by providing depth and impact to their programmes with complementary or spin-off content.
Specifically this year:
- We will support a new comedy project looking for new talent based on user-generated content submitted via the internet.
- We will continue to offer premieres of programmes via broadband internet.
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Measurable commitments
20% of our output will have interactive support. |
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Promoting education and learning
BBC Three aims to secure a reputation for knowledge-building programmes by tackling new subject areas in ways that feel different, new and interesting to younger audiences.
We will feature original formats and approaches to specialist factual areas like science, business, parenting, belief and race, promote informal learning and extend individual horizons.
Specifically this year:
- We will debunk scientific myths in Bad Science and offer a series with unprecedented access to a British school, as well as broadcasting a new series of Honey We’re Killing the Kids.
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Measurable commitments
50 hours of new factual, knowledge-building programmes. |
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Sustaining citizenship and civil society
News, current affairs and documentaries are an important part of the multi-genre offer of BBC Three.
It is crucial that the presentation of these genres on the channel meets the needs of our audience of young adults, across a variety of formats, and so we aim to deliver programmes that take an innovative, distinctive approach.
News is presented in a way that makes sense to a younger audience: regular, short, headline news bulletins throughout the evening match the needs of a demanding audience who are used to accessing rolling news channels and the internet.
Our current affairs and documentary programmes are designed to reflect life in the UK in a way that engages our viewers, and to not shy away from debate or potential controversy in search of the truth.
Specifically this year:
- We will provide hourly news bulletins to midnight every day.
- Current affairs and documentary output will include the return of the Mischief strand and a documentary on life in a UK prison.
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Measurable commitments
We will broadcast at least 15 hours of new current affairs programmes.
Around 15% of hours broadcast will be news, current affairs, education, music and the arts. |
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Reflecting the UK’s nations, regions and communities
BBC Three looks to engage a particular younger audience with a wide range of programming content in all genres, particularly in those which they might not experience elsewhere. We aim to create lasting impact by dealing with subjects that are directly relevant to younger audiences and how they live their lives. Family relationships will continue to feature strongly.
We have a particular ambition to reflect the diversity and multiculturalism of UK society in our output, through on-screen portrayal and in the subject matter we choose to cover.
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Measurable commitments
33% of eligible budget will be spent on programmes produced outside the M25. |
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Bringing the world to the UK and the UK to the world
BBC Three is fundamentally a British channel dedicated to UK talent and content. But we recognise that we do not exist in a vacuum and so on occasion we will also aim to spark the audience’s interest in global issues within our current affairs output or address part of the viewer’s wider world view in other areas of output. However, this content is not core to the channel’s offer.
Specifically this year:
- Jonathan Ross will present two new documentaries on contemporary Japan.
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Measurable commitments
No specific quantitative commitments have been set.
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Key priorities for 2006/2007
In 2005/2006 BBC Three had a strong programme offer, particularly in comedy and factual programming, which helped the channel to build its reach among its target audience. In an average week, BBC Three now reaches around a quarter of
25-34 year olds in digital homes. The channel successfully widened the range of its factual, knowledge-building output, with successes in documentary (The Week the Women Went) and in parenting with The House of Tiny Tearaways. Little Britain’s third series was a success for the channel, and new comedies were also launched featuring emerging British talent (Tittybangbang). The channel continued to innovate on alternative platforms, offering content via broadband PC and mobile devices.
The challenge for BBC Three for the coming year will be to maintain the momentum of this growth and its key strategic aims are to:
- Broaden appeal and reach through its multi-genre offer, in particular by widening the range of distinctive factual, knowledge-building programmes, continuing to build on the audience expectation of BBC Three as a launch pad of cutting-edge British comedy and looking to build more consistency and strength in the early evening.
- Build on the channel’s reputation for new approaches to programmes including innovative, high-impact music events and new opportunities for the audience to participate in and contribute to the outcome of programmes. It will also continue to use a variety of digital platforms to drive innovation and widen access to and interaction with the channel’s content.
- Create new initiatives for new talent to be nurtured and grown.
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Statutory commitments
The following targets are agreed with Ofcom each calendar year:
- 80% of hours, and 70% of hours in peak, to be originations (original productions include all BBC-commissioned programming, excluding repeats of programming first shown on another BBC public service channel).
- To ensure that a minimum of 25% of qualifying hours are provided by independent producers.
- At least 90% of programme hours will be of EU/EEA origin.
And in conjunction with other BBC network television services:
- To spend at least 30% of relevant programme production budgets, representing 25% of hours of productions by volume, outside the M25.
- To maintain the current broad range of programmes produced outside the M25, and broad range of different production centres used across the UK.
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