Go-ahead for new BBC channel

The BBC was today given the go-ahead to launch a new digital entertainment channel for young people which aims to be "a powerhouse for new talent".

Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport Tessa Jowell has rubber-stamped the launch of BBC3 in return for tough demands that it shows news and current affairs at peak viewing times and bans over reliance on repeat programmes.

She has warned that if the BBC fails to toe the line, the channel could have its licence revoked after two years.

Ms Jowell's approval paves the way for a New Year launch for the all-singing, all-dancing entertainment channel which the BBC hopes will attract new viewers in the crucial 18 to 34 age bracket.

Announcing her decision, Ms Jowell said she was determined that the BBC should be a "public service channel that is not competing with what is already out there in a vigorous market place".

She said: "I believe the revised format will see BBC3 emerge as a real powerhouse for new talent, within which the independent sector will have a strong voice.

"It will bring genuine public service broadcasting to a younger audience - offering them high-quality drama, news and current affairs."

She described the settlement as "a something for something deal" which would bring quality programmes to a young audience.

She said: "The BBC gets the go-ahead for BBC3 and in return viewers get a new channel which is genuinely distinctive, genuinely public service and genuinely innovative."

Liquid News, the acclaimed news programme on BBC Choice and BBC1 which launched the career of the late Christopher Price, is expected to be a key part of the new BBC3 schedule. The show, which now features former BBC TV presenter Richard Bacon, Heat editor Mark Frith and Julia Morris has won respect for its showbusiness, entertainment and media news coverage.

But BBC3 will be required to devote 15 per cent of its output to general news and current affairs and is expected to launch a separate news programme, BBC3 News.

In a bid to prevent the channel relying on recycled American shows, Ms Jowell has demanded that 90 per cent of its programmes must be made in Europe, and 80 per cent of programmes must be new material.

The BBC has welcomed the Government's approval. Director General Greg Dyke said in a statement today: "BBC3 is central to our drive to connect with young audiences. This has been a tough decision for the Secretary of State and, looking back, I think she was right to push us to define the channel more clearly.

"I'm confident that (BBC3) will bring a new public service concept to this currently under-served audience."

Commercial broadcasters, who oppose the move, have pointed out that the youth market is already well-served with digital channels such as E4, Sky One and Bravo. One insider said: "Young people in the 18 to 34 range are precisely the demographic that is so well served by commercial digital TV."