Virgin Media was required to move BBC Three up the channel list to meet an Ofcom deadline of this summer.
At just after midnight, BBC Three moved to Virgin Media channel 113 in Scotland and Wales, moving up from channel 157.
Ofcom rules mean platform operators must place BBC Three in a top 24 slot on their channel list by the end of July. This is part of the broadcast regulator’s policy ensuring public service channels receive a prominent position on channel lists.
Channel 113 was originally used for HD versions of ITV1, STV and UTV until 2020. HD and SD services then swapped places. In January, Virgin Media stopped the SD copies of these channels, freeing up channel 113.
There’s no change to BBC Three’s channel number in England or Northern Ireland.
Why is BBC Three on different numbers in different parts of the UK?
BBC Three re-launched in January 2022, but couldn’t return to its original slot on channel 106, as that had since been awarded to E4. In England and Wales, BBC Three was added on channel 107, next to BBC Four on 108.
However, in Scotland and Wales, BBC Three was added to the next available slot at the time – channel 157. That’s because 107 was taken by BBC Four. Meanwhile 108 was already used by BBC Scotland or, in the case of Wales, Channel 4.
Marc Thornham