The BBC is to cease terrestrial broadcast of CBBC and BBC Four, moving both to online-only.

In a move reminiscent of its 2016 decision to shift BBC Three to BBC iPlayer, both channels will become accessible exclusively through the corporation's free streaming service.

The Beeb eventurally reinstated BBC Three to terrestrial television, ironically placing it on the same broadcast slot as CBBC earlier this year, with its shows starting at 7pm each night as kids programming finishes.

Director-general Tim Davie has confirmed that new content will continue to be made for CBBC and BBC Four. There is no specific date yet for the switch, but they will still be available on TV for "at least three years".

There are also plans to make Radio 4 Extra a BBC Sounds-only broadcast, plus several regional news programmes will be merged - including those in Oxford and Cambridge, which will be combined with the output of Southampton and Norwich.

"This is our moment to build a digital-first BBC," said Davie in a statement (via the BBC website). "Something genuinely new, a Reithian organisation for the digital age, a positive force for the UK and the world.

"Independent, impartial, constantly innovating and serving all. A fresh, new, global digital media organisation which has never been seen before."