The new broadcast channel will launch in early February 2022 and will be available on Freeview , Sky , Virgin and Freesat with EPG numbers to be confirmed at a later date .

The decision coincides with Ofcom ’ s fourth annual report on the BBC ’ s performance , which assesses , among other things , its progress in reaching underserved viewers and listeners . This includes younger people who typically spend less time with the BBC ’ s programmes .

The BBC submitted

“ I ’ m absolutely proposals thrilled that to Ofcom to

Ofcom have now reinstate BBC Three as a confirmed that traditional

BBC Three will

TV channel be returning to – offering TV screens next news , current year .” affairs , factual , drama , entertainment and comedy , targeting viewers aged 16-34 who don ’ t typically watch TV online .

Ofcom said it carefully assessed the BBC ’ s plans , alongside evidence and feedback gathered during its consultation . Ofcom concluded that the channel ’ s relaunch will help the BBC to increase its reach among younger underserved viewers – particularly those from lower-income homes , and audiences who live outside London and the South East .

To ensure the channel is distinctive , at least 75 % of hours broadcast each year must be original programmes , commissioned by the BBC for UK viewers . Ofcom is also requiring the channel to deliver first-run UK content across a mix of genres , as well as weekday news programmes .

Fiona Campbell , controller BBC Three , said : “ I ’ m absolutely thrilled that Ofcom have now confirmed that BBC Three will be returning to TV screens next year . This is a big moment , with the new channel providing a destination for young audiences to discover more content on the BBC . We will work hand in hand with iPlayer to provide a broad offering that is representative of the whole of the UK and we will continue to back new talent and bold ideas . This approach will bring the audience a distinctive mix of programmes that are there to entertain , inspire and challenge thinking , at a pivotal and exciting time to be young in the UK .”

According to the BBC , the channel will deliver greater public value to all audiences by further increasing the diversity and creativity of the output , with the Corporation aiming for two-thirds of the expanded programme spend to be outside of London , providing more opportunity for a wider range of suppliers from across the whole of the UK .

In light of the channel ’ s approval , the BBC and independent producers ’ trade body Pact have agreed a new Terms of Trade deal for television productions made by independent producers .

BBC ’ s commercial , rights & business affairs director , Jo Korn , commented : “ This new deal is great news for both the BBC and independent producers , and we are really pleased to have concluded this in good time for launch . It provides the channel with the flexibility to ensure its programmes deliver real value to audiences however they wish to view the content , as well as recognition of success for producers .”

Pact ’ s director of business affairs , Max Rumney , added : “ Our members are pleased to see the return of the linear channel and the opportunities this will bring for producers to showcase the brilliant creativity of the UK independent production sector . It is a great example of Pact and the BBC working together to deliver a positive result for everyone .”

DVB releases 8K delivery specs

The DVB Steering Board has approved specification updates that introduce capabilities to deliver 8K UHD video services for the first time . These updates , extending existing support for the HEVC codec , are the first step in a series of key additions planned for the DVB video coding specifications . These will ensure that DVB continues to provide the most comprehensive and flexible toolbox for the delivery of next generation television services via broadcast and broadband .

HEVC ( High Efficiency Video Coding ), also known as H . 265 , is a standard that offers from 25 % to 50 % better data compression at the same level of video quality compared to its predecessor MPEG-4 / AVC . It is already used in several markets around the world . Until now , DVB specifications included HEVC conformance points only for up to 4K resolution .

The recent DVB specification updates encompass delivery of 8K UHD via both broadcast ( transport stream ) and broadband ( DVB-DASH ). Approved for publication as DVB BlueBooks , the updated documents are DVB ’ s specification for video and audio coding , the DVB-DASH profile for video streaming , and the DVB-SI specification for delivery of service information . All three updates also include some bug fixes .

In the longer term , scaling 8K video delivery to end users will benefit from even more efficient video codecs . This is a goal of current DVB work on Next Generation Video Coding , which is expected to lead to further additions to the DVB specifications in 2022 . The early availability of a HEVC conformance point supporting 8K video now will enable flexibility for deployments and maximize service interoperability across device ecosystems .