BBC Three to return to terrestrial TV on 1 February 2022

(Pocket-lint) - BBC Three volition instrumentality arsenic a full-fledged terrestrial TV transmission connected 1 February 2022.

It volition commencement astatine 7pm each nighttime and big shows, specified arsenic RuPaul's Drag Race: UK, positive unrecorded football, starting with semi-finals and last of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

The transmission volition look connected the aforesaid slot arsenic CBBC, with the kids transmission reverting to an extremity clip of 7pm each day. BBC Three volition past aerial from 7pm to 4am. It'll beryllium disposable connected some free-to-air and paid TV done Freeview, Sky, Virgin TV and Freesat.

The transmission volition besides broadcast done BBC iPlayer (its sole location for the past six years). Catch-up contented volition beryllium disposable too, naturally.

At the extremity of past year, the UK's communications regulator Ofcom gave the relaunch the greenish light, arsenic agelong arsenic three-quarters of its contented is archetypal and made successful the UK.

"We cautiously assessed the BBC’s plans, alongside grounds and feedback gathered during our consultation. We concluded that the channel’s relaunch volition assistance the BBC to summation its scope among younger underserved viewers - peculiarly those from lower-income homes, and audiences who unrecorded extracurricular London and the South East," it said successful a statement.

The BBC announced successful March 2021 that it wanted to reverse its determination to marque BBC Three an iPlayer-only service. However, it needed afloat support earlier progressing.

The corp closed the BBC Three terrestrial TV transmission successful 2016, moving contented and commissions to BBC iPlayer chiefly and hosting immoderate of its shows connected BBC One. However, it took into relationship caller probe highlighting a "strong case" for the transmission to travel back.

BBC Three, arsenic before, volition absorption connected younger audiences. The Beeb volition anticipation to bring backmost immoderate viewers who near to question retired contented connected different platforms instead.

"The BBC needs to backmost occurrence and marque definite its programmes scope arsenic galore young radical arsenic imaginable wherever they unrecorded successful the UK," said the BBC's main contented officer, Charlotte Moore earlier this year.

"So careless of the debates astir the past, we privation to springiness BBC Three its ain broadcast transmission again."

Writing by Rik Henderson.