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Programme notes
Longer reads on how television learned to be born online. Written from published sources, which are listed at the end of every article.
BBC Three: the channel that went online
In 2016 the BBC took its youth channel off air and moved it to iPlayer; six years and several hits later, BBC Three came back to television.
Published 4 October 2026
A short history of streaming in the UK
Britain's streaming story began with broadcasters' catch-up players rather than Netflix: here are the key dates, from 4oD and iPlayer to Disney+ and ITVX.
Published 4 October 2026
Lilyhammer: was it really Netflix's first original?
A Norwegian mob comedy reached Netflix a year before House of Cards, but whether it counts as the service's first original depends on what you mean by 'original'.
Published 4 October 2026
How House of Cards changed TV
Netflix's remake of a 1990 BBC thriller arrived all at once in February 2013 and reached the Emmys within months – here is how it happened, and what followed.
Published 4 October 2026