BBC Three unveil new logo and announce switchover date to online

On February 16th, BBC Three will be switching from a television channel to online via the BBC iPlayer application, part of a new cost-cutting exercise for the corporation.

The new logo is quite different than its predecessor, incorporating two solid lines as opposed to the previous lettering, with an exclamation mark at the end.

Re-branding is usually a lightning rod for public opinion, more so criticism when it comes to larger companies, as we saw with the change of Google's logo last year.

Critics of BBC Three's new logo have suggested that the logo actually looks like it says BBC Two!, however the channel's head of marketing, Nikki Carr, has been quick to shoot this critique down.

She said, "Some people are resistant to change and we wanted to be bold and create something that looks forward and will be around for years to come. Look at Snapchat. They're doing okay without having Snapchat in their logo."

The three bars idea included in the new logo were carefully selected, says Carr, with three key principles taken into account.

"The first is 'make me think'… The second is 'make me laugh'… The third, the exclamation mark, is 'give me a voice', which is what we will do for young people."

Plans to move BBC Three onto an online platform were approved back in November 2015 and now it would seem things are coming along smoothly.

The channel's long-form programmes will still be aired on BBC One and Two. However, most of its content will be found online.

You may be thinking, 'how will I know what's going online and what's staying on TV?' Well, BBC Three's television channel will turn into a promotional channel from February 16th for a limited time, giving viewers some more information on the switch.

[BBC]