Last week saw what is potentially the start of the future for the TV industry. BBC Three switched from TV to an online format, having been a hotly debated topic for the BBC Trust for two years. The public hasn’t shied away from giving its view either, with over 300,000 people signing a petition to keep the channel on TV. But even with objections from some BBC personalities like Greg James and Matt Lucas, the switch still went ahead.
BBC Three kick-started its launch with an event in London where it gave the details of its two platforms: The Daily Drop – which includes content such as short-form videos, blogs, social media, image galleries – and The Best Of – which includes original long-form programmes and new content, such as short films. While its format may be changing, BBC Three aims to continue to offer us the drama, comedy and documentaries that have made the channel a success.
As BBC Three is now offering more than just 30/60 minute TV shows, it’s possible that the changes could see us consuming other forms of media that we didn’t before. Rarely do you turn on the TV and come across a short film, but now that you’ll come across them while you’re searching for your favourite TV shows, you’re more likely to check it out. Essentially, BBC Three is bringing together a range of media into one online community and giving us better access to what we wouldn’t normally get on TV. A new age of TV is upon us; and BBC Three shows that what we consume through TV could be much more varied in the future.
As a B2B PR agency, we like to look at how the media reshapes itself to respond to its audience. The BBC may be the world’s oldest broadcaster, but as we’ve seen, that doesn’t stop it moving along with changes in technology. It’s not just TV that feels the pressure to do this; several magazines switching to online-only formats is testament to outlets having no choice but to alter according to our changing media consumption habits.
Alex Brown has just started his career at Skout PR and will be a regular contributor to the Skout blog.
