ETB 3

ETB3
CountrySpain
France
Broadcast areaBasque Country
NetworkETB
HeadquartersBilbao, Basque Country
Programming
Picture format1080i HDTV
Ownership
OwnerEITB
Sister channelsETB 1
ETB 2
ETB 4
ETB Basque
History
Launched10 October 2008 (2008-10-10)
Closed18 March 2026 (2026-03-18)
Replaced byETB1 On
Links
Website[1]
Availability
Terrestrial
DigitalÁlava: Channel 45
Biscay: Channel 35
French Basque Country: Channel 33
Gipuzkoa: Channel 48
Navarre:
Region of Pamplona: 38
Region of Estella: 24
Region of Tudela: 39
Region of Olite: 31
Region of Sangüesa: 45

ETB 3 (ETB Hiru) was the third television channel from the Euskal Irrati Telebista group in the Basque Autonomous Community, Navarre and the French Basque Country in Spain. The channel broadcasts entirely in Basque.

The channel's offer is for children and young people, offering multiple animated and youth fiction series mainly from the Betizu program. It also broadcasts cultural spaces, both informative spaces and documentaries and programs of its own production. The channel aims to retain the young audience in the public television of the Basque Country, with an offer similar to other channels of the same theme, such as SX3 in Catalonia.

History

ETB3 was launched on October 10, 2008 as EiTB's third own channel, replacing Canal Vasco on Basque Country DTT.[1] It was the second Spanish regional channel aimed at children after Super3 in Catalonia.

On March 16, 2026, it was announced that from March 18, the channel would change its name to ETB1 On[2], modifying its programming with a mix of content from the former ETB3, as well as from ETB1, including its news programs. Furthermore, from that same day, ETB1 On became the channel's fully Basque-language version, available on streaming platforms and the internet. On March 17th, an online petition was launched to overturn this decision by the Basque Government and EITB, arguing that many children would lose the opportunity for public and universal access to a children's channel in Basque.[3]

Programming

The channel was created with the aim of retaining a new audience to the EiTB channels, so its programming is aimed at children, so most of its programming is occupied by cartoons. The channel broadcasts in Basque language.[4] Previously, the channel also broadcasts some cultural and entertainment programs aimed at a teenage audience.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b "ETB3, el nuevo canal autonómico vasco". Espinof (in European Spanish). 10 October 2008. Retrieved 20 March 2023.
  2. ^ "ETB1 y ETB2 culminan su adaptación al entorno digital y lanzan sus versiones digitales: ETB1 ON y ETB2 ON". EITB (in Spanish). 2026-03-16. Retrieved 2026-03-17.
  3. ^ Recogida de firmas por el euskera tras el cierre de ETB3: EiTB desata la polémica al eliminar el canal infantil
  4. ^ "Programación ETB3". EiTB (in European Spanish). Retrieved 20 March 2023.
  • Hiru3 (redirects to the MAKUSI website)