The BBC has released more information about its proposed plans to change its news services. The broadcaster will merge its existing United Kingdom and international news channels into one channel, which will be called BBC News. The new channel will launch in April 2023.
BBC News Digital Director Naja Nielsen said, “Our aim is to create the best live and breaking video news service in the world — on our web pages, our apps, on BBC iPlayer and our new T.V. news channel.”
The BBC has emphasized the global nature of the service. “The channel will be broadcast around the world, bringing the BBC’s trusted journalism to international audiences and providing license fee payers in the U.K. with ad-free access to a huge range and breadth of international coverage, which hasn’t previously been available to them,” added Nielsen.
The new global news service will have three broadcast hubs: London, Singapore and Washington, D.C. Such merging of offerings often comes with the loss of talent where there are overlaps, and the BBC has admitted that it expects up to 70 staff in London will lose their jobs. Twenty new positions are planned for the Washington bureau.
The BBC added that BBC News would feature new flagship programs built around high-profile journalists and programs commissioned for multiple platforms. The broadcaster will invest in studio capacity and new technology, including visualizing popular radio shows.
