BBC News Channel Launches Live on YouTube in UK and US
Beginning Thursday, the BBC News channel will stream live on YouTube for audiences in the UK and USA. BBC leaders see this as a big move to provide access to reliable and unbiased news. This initiative is an extension of their YouTube efforts in countries like Australia, Kenya, Nigeria, and Poland, targeting younger viewers. Anjali Kapoor, the AI director at BBC News, mentioned that this launch meets the audience's needs for convenient news access. It also aims to address issues of misinformation and fragmented audiences on social media, especially as discussions about funding the BBC beyond 2027 are ongoing. UK viewers still need a TV licence, which complicates enforcement. The channel, established in 1997, combined with BBC World News in 2023, with talks about changing the TV licence system still in progress.
Key facts
- The BBC News channel launched live on YouTube in the UK and US on Thursday.
- The trial expands on the BBC's existing YouTube availability in Australia, Kenya, Nigeria, and Poland.
- Anjali Kapoor is BBC News's director of AI, innovation and growth.
- UK viewers still need a TV licence to watch the channel live on YouTube.
- The BBC News channel launched in 1997 as BBC News 24 and was renamed BBC News Channel in 2008.
- In 2023, it merged with BBC World News into one channel called BBC News.
- Ofcom reported that YouTube is the UK's second most-watched media service, behind the BBC.
- In July, director general Matt Brittin called the TV licence model "a busted flush" and "yesterday's model."
Entities
Artists
- Sophie Raworth
- Anjali Kapoor
- Rachel Jupp
- Matt Brittin
- Samir Shah
Institutions
- BBC
- BBC News
- YouTube
- Ofcom
- BBC World News
- iPlayer
Locations
- UK
- USA
- Australia
- Kenya
- Nigeria
- Poland