The term international news refers to the BBC’s broadcasting of global news to audiences outside the United Kingdom. The BBC’s international news output is generally broadcast on the BBC News Channel, a free-to-air television channel that is available in Europe and much of the world through satellite, cable and IPTV channels. Some of the BBC’s UK-produced news programmes are also available on this channel, including The World Today and Asia Business Report.
In the United States, the BBC News bulletins are broadcast on Los Angeles’ KCET. The broadcaster then makes them available to PBS stations nationwide, with scheduling discretion given to individual stations. This makes them available to between 80 and 90% of Americans, and is the largest international news programme to reach such a wide audience in the country. In Finland, YLE airs a half-hour regional opt-out on each evening of the week, while Sweden’s SVT shows a local opt-out during morning programs.
Launched on 11 March 1991 as BBC World Service TV, it became BBC World in 1995 and was rebranded to BBC World News on 21 April 2008. In 2023, the channel was consolidated with the domestic UK-based BBC News channel under the BBC’s new Putting News First slogan. Its current studios and newsroom are located in Broadcasting House. Other studios are located in Manchester, Nairobi and Singapore.
BBC News is one of the most watched news channels in the world, with a reported weekly global audience of 74 million. Programmes include BBC World News Today – with its focus on breaking stories and interviews. In addition, there are specialist programmes such as The World Tonight – the BBC’s flagship international news programme, Focus on Africa – with interviews and reports from across the continent, and Newsday – with news and analysis from the US and around the globe.