BBC World Service

For the BBC television network that was previously known as BBC World News, see BBC News (international TV channel).
"World Service" redirects here. For other uses, see World Service (disambiguation).

BBC World Service
TypeRadio broadcasting news, speech, discussions, public broadcaster
Country
United Kingdom
AvailabilityWorldwide
HeadquartersBroadcasting House, London
Broadcast area
Worldwide
OwnerBBC
Key people
Jonathan Munro[1]
Launch date
19 December 1932; 91 years ago (1932-12-19)
Former names
  • BBC Empire Service
  • BBC Overseas Service
  • External Services of the BBC
WebcastWeb stream
Official website
www.bbcworldservice.com Edit this at Wikidata

The BBC World Service is an international broadcaster owned and operated by the BBC. It is the world's largest external broadcaster in terms of reception area, language selection and audience reach.[2] It broadcasts radio news, speech and discussions in more than 40 languages[3][4] to many parts of the world on analogue and digital shortwave platforms, internet streaming, podcasting, satellite, DAB, FM, LW and MW relays. In 2024, the World Service reached an average of 450 million people a week (via TV, radio and online).[5] In November 2016, the BBC announced that it would start broadcasting in additional languages including Amharic and Igbo, in its biggest expansion since the 1940s.[6]

BBC World Service English maintains eight regional feeds with several programme variations, covering, respectively, East and Southern Africa;[7] West and Central Africa;[8] Europe and Middle East;[9] the Americas and Caribbean;[10] East Asia;[11] South Asia;[12] Australasia;[13] and the United Kingdom.[14] There are also two separate online-only streams, a general one[15] and the other being more news-oriented, known as News Internet.[16][17] The service broadcasts 24 hours a day.

The World Service states that its aim is to be "the world's best-known and most-respected voice in international broadcasting",[18] while retaining a "balanced British view" of international developments.[19] Former director Peter Horrocks visualised the organisation as fighting an "information war" of soft power against Russian and Chinese international state media, including RT.[20][21][22] As such, the BBC has been banned in both Russia and China, the former following its 2022 invasion of Ukraine.[23][24]

The director of the BBC World Service is Jonathan Munro. The controller of the BBC World Service in English is Jon Zilkha.

  1. ^ "Jonathan Munro appointed BBC News Global Director". IBC365. 10 July 2024. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
  2. ^ "The Work of the BBC World Service 2008-09" (PDF). House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee. 5 February 2010. Archived (PDF) from the original on 21 October 2020. Retrieved 16 February 2011.
  3. ^ "News in your language". BBC News. Archived from the original on 22 May 2019. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
  4. ^ "BBC World Service". Facebook. Archived from the original on 13 February 2021. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
  5. ^ "BBC's global audience holds firm despite increased competition". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2 September 2024.
  6. ^ "BBC World Service announces biggest expansion 'since the 1940s'", BBC News, 16 November 2016.Archived 18 November 2020 at the Wayback Machine.
  7. ^ "BBC World Service East and Southern Africa - Schedules". BBC. Retrieved 26 October 2024.
  8. ^ "BBC World Service West and Central Africa - Schedules". BBC. Retrieved 26 October 2024.
  9. ^ "BBC World Service Europe and the Middle East - Schedules". BBC. Retrieved 26 October 2024.
  10. ^ "BBC World Service Americas and the Caribbean - Schedules". BBC. Retrieved 26 October 2024.
  11. ^ "BBC World Service East Asia - Schedules". BBC. Retrieved 26 October 2024.
  12. ^ "BBC World Service South Asia - Schedules". BBC. Retrieved 26 October 2024.
  13. ^ "BBC World Service Australasia - Schedules". BBC. Retrieved 26 October 2024.
  14. ^ "BBC World Service UK DAB/Freeview - Schedules". BBC. Retrieved 26 October 2024.
  15. ^ "BBC World Service Online - Schedules". BBC. Retrieved 26 October 2024.
  16. ^ "BBC World Service News Internet - Schedules". BBC. Retrieved 26 October 2024.
  17. ^ "BBC World Service English News - LyngSat". www.lyngsat.com. Retrieved 26 October 2024.
  18. ^ "Annual Review 2008/2009". BBC News. Archived from the original on 2 June 2010. Retrieved 8 April 2010.
  19. ^ "BBC protocol". Bbc.co.uk. Archived from the original on 22 July 2012. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
  20. ^ "The Implications of Cuts to the BBC World Service: Responses from the Government and the BBC to the Committee's Sixth Report of Session 2010–12" (PDF). Foreign Affairs Committee. UK Parliament. 17 May 2011. HC 1058. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
  21. ^ Lewis, Gavin (April 2016). "The Broken BBC". The Monthly Review. Archived from the original on 17 February 2022. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
  22. ^ Halliday, Josh (21 December 2014). "BBC World Service fears losing information war as Russia Today ramps up pressure". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 17 February 2022. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
  23. ^ "China bans BBC World News from broadcasting inside the country". South China Morning Post. Bloomberg. 12 February 2021. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  24. ^ "Russia blocks access to BBC and Voice of America websites". Reuters. Reuters. 4 March 2022. Retrieved 3 April 2022.