Type | Radio network broadcasting news, speech, discussions |
---|---|
Country | United Kingdom |
Availability | Worldwide |
Slogan | The World's Radio Station, The BBC's international radio station |
Headquarters | Broadcasting House, London |
Broadcast area
|
Worldwide |
Owner | BBC |
Key people
|
Fran Unsworth (Director) |
Launch date
|
19 December 1932 |
Former names
|
BBC Empire Service BBC Overseas Service External Services of the BBC |
Webcast |
Internet Schedule Live Streaming
English News Live Streaming Africa Live Streaming |
Official website
|
bbc |
Internet Schedule Live Streaming
English News Live Streaming
Africa Live Streaming
The BBC World Service is the world's largest international broadcaster, broadcasting radio and television news, speech and discussions in 29 languages to many parts of the world on analogue, and digital shortwave platforms, Internet streaming, podcasting, satellite, FM and MW relays. The BBC announced in November 2016 that It would start broadcasting in additional languages including Igbo, Nigerian Pidgin, Yoruba and Amharic, in its biggest expansion since the 1940s. In 2015 World Service reached an average of 210 million people a week (TV, radio and online). The English-language service broadcasts 24 hours a day.
The World Service is funded by the United Kingdom's television licence fee, limited advertising and the profits of BBC Worldwide Ltd. The service also gets £289 million each year (agreed up to 2020) from the UK government. The World Service was funded for decades by grant-in-aid through the Foreign and Commonwealth Office of the British Government until 1 April 2014.
The Director of the BBC World Service Group is Francesca Unsworth. The controller of BBC World Service, English, is Mary Hockaday.