EXCLUSIVE: The BBC has canceled The Catch Up, a nightly news bulletin that was aimed at the TikTok generation.
The BBC has canned The Catch Up as part of the planned closure of BBC Three, the youth network that will be switched off for a second time in spring 2027. BBC Three‘s brand will be retained on iPlayer.
The Catch Up was launched in 2022 and was pitched as an attempt to “bring back” 16- to 24-year-old viewers to traditional news bulletins. Its debut coincided with BBC Three being restored to linear TV, a decision that was reversed on Tuesday.
The two- to four-minute news bulletin was designed to provide young viewers with a roundup of the day’s headlines in an accessible format, complete with graphics and a conversational tone.
Tuesday’s bulletin was hosted by BBC journalist Ben Henley-Washford and featured a report on BBC Three’s demise as a linear television network.
“The BBC has announced it is closing BBC Three,” Henley-Washford said. “Not just yet, though. They said the TV channel, along with BBC Scotland’s channel, will close in the spring as the corporation continues to make £500 million pounds worth of savings by 2028.”
He did not mention that The Catch Up would be discontinued.
When The Catch Up launched, then editor Amanda Goodman told Press Gazette: “We want to create relatable news for young people that doesn’t necessarily sound like the BBC, or the BBC they think exists at present.”
BBC News was not on TikTok in 2022, but this has changed. The BBC News account now has 16.5 million followers and more than 1 billion likes.
A BBC News spokesperson said: “The BBC is the UK’s leading news publisher for 16-34 year olds in the UK – reaching around half of 16–34-year-olds each week across its BBC News platforms, including youth-focused offerings such as Newsbeat, as well as Newsround for a younger audience.
“Further to this, there are significant and growing numbers of young people accessing BBC News across our social channels – including TikTok, Instagram and YouTube. We have been clear in our commitment to providing news to young people and developing our news offering to reach audiences where they are.”