BBC Brit and BBC Earth will make their international debut in Poland on February 1 next year. They will be accessible to Polish audiences through DTH, cable and IPTV providers in the market.
The new global brands are a key part of BBC Worldwide’s strategic plan to inspire global audiences and cement the BBC’s international reputation for excellence in factual entertainment.
The upcoming launch will follow the successful debut of BBC First, a premium drama channel, in Australia this August.
Commenting on the launch, Tim Davie, CEO BBC Worldwide and Director Global, said: “This is an important step in BBC Worldwide’s global strategy to inspire audiences with intelligent, distinctive content. We have already experienced success with the launch of our premium drama brand, BBC First, in Australia and I am confident that BBC Brit and BBC Earth will prove to be popular with Polish audiences. The freshly branded channels will be perfect homes for our best known programme brands, including Top Gear. BBC Brit and BBC Earth will launch initially in Poland as linear channels, and our future global aspiration is for them to be available to consumers in many ways, whether as VOD services, consumer products or live events. This September saw the launch of bbc.com/earth – a brand new digital space where audiences are able to explore their world, discovering its wonders and finding something amazing every day.”
Paul Dempsey, president for Global Markets at BBC Worldwide added: “This new generation of global brands have been created and shaped by research into audience demand. The success of shows such as Top Gear and Frozen Planet demonstrate a clear appetite for premium factual and factual entertainment programming the BBC specialises in and we are looking forward to bringing more of these to Polish viewers with BBC Brit and BBC Earth.”
In Poland BBC Entertainment and BBC Knowledge will be refreshed into BBC Brit and BBC Earth with an increased investment into exclusive new content. BBC Brit and BBC Earth will be available in HD and sit alongside BBC Lifestyle, CBeebies and BBC HD in the Polish market.
