BBC News has given further details of how it intends to replace its domestic and international news channels with a combined global service.
The new channel, to be known as BBC News, will launch in April 2023, replacing BBC World News and the domestic BBC News channel.
Confirming plans announced earlier this year, BBC News Digital Director Naja Nielsen said: “The channel will be broadcast around the world, bringing the BBC’s trusted journalism to international audiences and providing licence fee payers in the UK with ad-free access to a huge range and breadth of international coverage which hasn’t previously been available to them.
“It will feature new flagship programmes built around high-profile journalists, and programmes commissioned for multiple platforms.”
Under the plans put forward Thursday, UK viewers will receive specific content at certain times of the day, and during certain news stories. A new live and breaking news team will provide universally available coverage of global breaking news, and – when relevant – a domestic-only stream for UK-specific news events, ensuring that audiences get the best live video coverage of the news that matters most to them.
The channel will be broadcast from London during UK daytime hours, and then Singapore and Washington DC. Up to 70 jobs will be lost in London, including a number of presenters, while 20 new jobs will be created in the BBC’s Washington bureau.
Arguably, the biggest problem the new channel will face is the news agenda itself. Wednesday evening’s 11pm bulletin is one already shared between the two services. Presented live from Singapore, the lead story was the political unrest in Sri Lanka, with the Conservative leadership election that will decide the UK’s next prime minister relegated to 10 minutes into the bulletin.
The BBC plans invest in visualising programmes based on popular radio shows, a strategy that has served commercial radio stations such as LBC well. This will begin with the BBC Radio 5 Live Nicky Campbell programme, which will be broadcast on BBC Two on weekday mornings as well as on the UK stream of the new channel.
BBC Studios will continue to have responsibility for securing commercial revenues from the channel outside the UK, primarily through advertising, returning funding to the BBC that can be reinvested in public service journalism. The channel will remain ad-free in the UK.
The plans are now subject to consultation with staff and trade unions.
