BBC Three to launch all comedies on iPlayer

UK channel BBC Three will begin premiering all of its scripted comedies on the on-demand iPlayer service as of August.

The initiative will launch with the second season of Jack Whitehall-fronted Bad Education, which will be available free online a week before its TV debut.

The BBC has been experimenting with a number of intiatives around the launch of its scripted comedy content in the past year, including the launch of an online pilots project, Comedy Feeds, earlier this month.

A separate trial announced in February will see 40 hours of programming, including, upcoming Peter Kay sitcom Car Share, will premiere on iPlayer.

“BBC Three audiences are digitally savvy, and view our programmes in a number of different ways online and on the go. We’ve already been experimenting with online content, starting with the hugely popular Comedy Feeds, now in their second season and with a third in the pipeline,” said BBC Three controller Zai Bennett.

“Premiering our scripted comedies on BBC iPlayer is an obvious and exciting step forward for BBC Three, and yet another innovative way to give our viewers more choice in the ways they can enjoy our programmes.”

BBC head of TV content online and IPTV Victoria Jaye added 42% of daily iPlayers users came the service each day without a particular show in mind and were therefore “happy to try new and different things”.