BBC prepares for fewer linear channels

BBC director-general Matt Brittin has given his clearest signal that linear television channels could close as investment shifts toward BBC iPlayer.

“BBC director-general Matt Brittin has given his clearest signal that linear television channels could close as investment shifts toward BBC iPlayer. The strategy redirects scarce resources toward streaming, where the corporation must serve changing audiences while preserving universal access and public value. For distributors, fewer scheduled channels could reshape capacity, prominence rules and carriage agreements across Britain’s television platforms during the next charter period. The central question is whether iPlayer investment can replace linear reach without leaving older viewers or lower-connectivity households behind.”