Months after the BBC’s director-general, Tim Davey, revealed that the organization would merge BBC News and BBC Worldwide among a host of other budget changes, Pep confirmed it would launch a single news channel.
The plans are currently run by employees and labor unions.
The new channel, which will launch in April 2023, will broadcast from London during daylight hours in the UK followed by Singapore and Washington DC. The company confirmed that it will be seeking talent on and off screen in Washington, D.C. prior to launch.
The new, as-yet-unnamed channel will also be broadcast globally and will include “new groundbreaking programming built around high-profile journalists, and programming set up for multiple platforms.”
During certain times of the day, and depending on the local news being published, the channel will give UK viewers ‘specific content at certain times of the day’ including via UK-only broadcasts. It will remain ad-free for UK audiences.
BBC Studios will be tasked with monetizing the channel outside the UK, primarily through advertising.
The change will also affect sports news, which will have a new international focus in addition to its UK reporting.
BBC News was previously a UK-focused channel while BBC World catered to a global audience.
“Our goal is to create the world’s best live and breaking video news service – on our web pages, our apps, on iPlayer and on our new TV news channel,” said Naja Nielsen, BBC News’ Digital Director. “The way the public consumes news is changing. In recent years, we have seen a huge rise in audiences coming into our live coverage, with tens of millions following the Live Pages as big stories and events unfold.”
“As the world’s most authoritative source of news, with great depth and breadth of experience, the BBC is uniquely positioned to provide the best analysis and interpretation to the public as these stories unfold,” Nielsen continued. “So we are investing in a new ability to cover breaking news, and our news channel and digital teams will work hand in hand to deliver the best journalism to audiences at home and abroad.”
In May, Davy announced a number of shutdowns at the BBC, including the cancellation of the children’s network CBBC, BBC Four and Radio 4 Extra.
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