‘The breadth of content impressed the judges, with comedies like People Just Do Nothing and The Young Offenders attracting dedicated followings’
Completing of wins for the digital channel, which also picked up this year’s Best Factual Channel and Best Entertainment Channel awards, BBC Three was the judges’ clear choice for Channel of The Year. Its online reach among 16-34s hit 7.9% in the October-December period – well over double its reach at launch in 2016.
The breadth of the channel’s content offering impressed the judges, with comedies like People Just Do Nothing, This Country and The Young Offenders attracting dedicated followings. Acclaim on the factual front was provided by documentaries such as Drugsland and Life And Death Row: The Mass Execution.
The latter was initially pitched as a 60-minute single but ended up a four-part, 280-minute commission, highlighting how BBC Three can experiment more than many of its slot-dictated rivals.
Other topics covered on the channel throughout the judging period included the British LGBTQ+ experience (the Queer Britain season), white working-class males (Britain’s Forgotten Men), cultural identity (Should I Marry My Cousin?) and legalised sex work (Sex, Drugs & Murder).
On BBC iPlayer, BBC Three programming attracts as many as 5.5 million views a week – about 8% of the broadcaster’s total.
With an extra £10m investment for an entertainment pillar and established talent such as Reggie Yates and Stacey Dooley anchoring, there’s no reason to believe things aren’t about to get even better.
SHORTLISTED
More than 20 programmes passed the 1 million viewer mark for BBC Four in 2017.
The channel achieved 2% audience share for the first time in its 15-year history through bold programming initiatives such as its Japan and Gay Britannia seasons and foreign-language dramas.
BEANO
Launched in September 2016 with a mantra to ‘Think More Kid’, beano.com has established itself as a prime example of what can be achieved by really knowing an audience.
Stats show it is the UK’s fastest-growing digital platform – up 562% year on year, according to ComScore.
Last year was a key one for Comedy Central, which achieved its highest ever share of 16-34s through well-received originals such as Roast Battle UK and Your Face Or Mine, and staples such as Friends and Impractical Jokers.
New acquisitions included The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air and Takeshi’s Castle.
E4 scooped The Big Bang Theory spin-off Young Sheldon last year, which duly achieved the best ratings among 16-34s for a new series across all of TV in a Thursday 8.30pm slot.
Along with the dependable Made In Chelsea and Celebs Go Dating, it was a strong year for the channel.
Game Of Thrones series seven was among the most anticipated TV events of 2017 and the ratings for Sky Atlantic did not disappoint, with more than 5 million tuning in over seven days.
Alongside this, original productions such as Save Me and Tin Star added sparkle.
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