I completely agree that, if they must do it, why did they bring back BBC3 in the first place (with a younger, mostly online audience) only to threaten to chop BBC4, which will attract a lot more older people who prefer to watch telly on an actual telly?
Youngsters often find actual TV archaic anyway, so it's a bit like turning a steakhouse into a vegan restaurant and constantly refreshing the chef's specials in a desperate attempt to lure back the old custom base.
I'd say that the licensing model was probably dying anyway, as the younger generations of adults just wouldn't find it relevant at all; so why hasten the death by driving away us oldies who do still engage and buy one?
I also don't understand how they save that much money by still making the programmes but using a different platform to show them. Surely it's the making of the content that costs most money? If it genuinely costs so much to run actual channels, what's the point of having a dozen or so regional versions of BBC1 that usually show the same things at the same time except for local news and weather? They don't even make Inside Out (with it's bizarre toilet-flush link between items) anymore.
I'm particularly cross about CBBC, as it takes away older children's safe space. Currently, they know that they put the channel on and it's all advert-free content that should be appropriate for them. Once they're forced to look online, not only is there a huge range of content to choose from, not all of which will be suitable for their age; but it's far from unknown for bad people to add long lists of the names of popular kids' shows to grab innocent searches and steer them towards very unsuitable material.
I know this will be a very unpopular opinion, but in spite of its many failings, hidden agendas and dark history, I love the BBC. I don't think people should be forced to pay for it if they never watch it - although, considering the breadth of content, I'm always a little suspicious of people who claim that there's never anything across the whole BBC that they would ever want to watch - but, all grumbling aside, if it were optional to pay £160 or whatever each year for access to all BBC TV, radio, catch-up and other online content, I wouldn't think twice before paying it.
That said, I agree that this is mainly to get people talking about it and considering if they do want to lose it. If they threaten to scrap BBC1 or BBC2, it would be instant game over and bye bye, BBC; but anything else can be thrown in to the conversation.