BBC Entertainment, an international television channel that broadcasts comedy, drama, light entertainment, reality, and children’s programming from the BBC, is set to close operations in all markets by March 31, 2024.
According to reports, the channel will cease its transmissions.
BBC Studios, the wholly-owned subsidiary of BBC responsible for the channel’s operations, has confirmed its commitment to serving local audiences in the EMEA region.
In an official statement, the organization outlined its strategy, including continuing tailored genre channels, expanding the BBC Player’s digital service, and introducing a suite of FAST channels.
BBC Entertainment was launched in October 2006 to replace BBC Prime in Asian markets like Singapore, Hong Kong, Thailand, and South Korea. It was then expanded to replace BBC Prime in the rest of Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa in November 2009. BBC Worldwide later announced the cessation of transmissions for BBC Entertainment, along with BBC Earth and CBeebies, in Latin American countries in April 2017.
Since the launch of BBC First in selected Asian regions on March 19, 2016, broadcasts of BBC Entertainment have ceased in specific areas on different dates. For instance, Singapore via Starhub TV halted transmissions on April 29, 2015, while Hong Kong, Thailand, and Indonesia ceased broadcasts on January 1, 2017. Myanmar and Mongolia saw broadcasts end on March 1, 2018, while Taiwan stopped transmissions on March 10, 2017, and was subsequently replaced by CBeebies.
The channel’s last feed is scheduled to shut down on March 31, 2024, similar to the trend observed in the Latin American market in 2017.
