DR Ultra to go online-only

Danish pubcaster DR is planning to shut down one of its linear TV channels for children in the next four years because of declining ratings.

Maria Rørbye Rønn

DR Ultra will become an online-only service by 2020, the pubcaster’s director general Maria Rørbye Rønn has told local news service MediaWatch.

The channel only launched in 2013 but Ronn said that the target audience – those aged between seven and 12 – wouldn’t be watching linear TV in 2020.

The move will not have any effect on the channel’s budget and the same amount of money will be invested in DR Ultra, Ronn added. DR also operates a service for younger children, DR Ramasjang.

It follows the BBC in the UK taking a similar decision with its channel BBC3, which is aimed at 16-34 year olds. The network made the move to online-only in February this year.