Making the case

The BBC's 21-page consultation document on re-inventing the re-invention of BBC Three crept out without fanfare yesterday.

As with many BBC proposals, it reads as if only churls would disagree. The BBC is already committed to spending more on  BBC Three content online by 2022, and the additional costs of a return to broadcasting are put, enticingly, at a one-off splurge of £3.5m on marketing, and additional running costs of £7.5m a year. Why wouldn't you ?

The identifiable target - a weekly reach of 3.5m amongst 16-34 year-olds, and an unidentified additional rise in 13-15 year-olds, before they obediently switch off at the 9pm watershed - is hardly stretching. They will get a diet rich in repeats (74% at peaktime, plus everything you've watched that day re-run from midnight.) The word "EastEnders" doesn't appear in the consultation document; "acquisitions" does.

You can almost imagine how pleased the authors of the proposal are with themselves. Very few organisations would employ people unashamed to construct this sort of tosh: 

Regarding treatment and tonality, the BBC Three channel will embrace a contemporary visual language that is social and participatory in its nature. Its coverage will align to the most relevant topics across the country ranging from identity, entrepreneurialism and health, to music, sports and pop culture.... 

A BBC Three broadcast TV channel will enable a wider range of young people to access the highly relevant content that can help them celebrate who they are and discover who they want to be....

The content will cover a variety of regional realities...