BBC Three

BBC Three was a British free-to-air television channel operated by the BBC. Launched on 9 February 2003 as a replacement for BBC Choice, the service's remit was to provide "innovative programming" to a target audience of viewers between 16 and 34 years old, leveraging technology as well as new talent.

Unlike its commercial rivals, 90% of BBC Three's output originated from the United Kingdom. 70% was original, covering all genres, including animation, comedy, current affairs, and drama. It also carried occasional BBC Sport programming as an overflow for the BBC's other channels. The former controller of the station, Zai Bennett, left to join Sky Atlantic in July 2014, at which point BBC Three commissioner Sam Bickley became acting controller.

Until March 2016, the network broadcast on Freeview, digital cable, IPTV and satellite television platforms, and was on-air from 7 pm to around 4 am each night to share terrestrial television bandwidth with CBBC. In March 2014, as a result of a planned £100 million budget cut across the BBC, it was proposed that BBC Three be discontinued as an "open" television service, and be converted to an over-the-top Internet television service with a smaller programming budget and a focus on short-form productions. Despite significant public opposition, the proposal was provisionally approved by the BBC Trust in June 2015, with a new consultation open until 30 September of that year. The linear channel ceased operations on 16 February 2016, replaced by a BBC Three-branded streaming channel on the iPlayer. A late-night strand of BBC Three original programmes has been aired by BBC One on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday nights since March 2019.

On 20 May 2020, it was stated within the BBC's annual plan that the corporation was "considering the case" for returning BBC Three to linear television, citing a number of successful programs that had aired on the service. On 2 March 2021, the BBC confirmed that it planned to relaunch BBC Three's linear television channel in January 2022 subject to regulatory approval.