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BBC gets $437m for global services

International audiences are set to see more of the BBC after the UK government said it would invest £289m (US$437m) over five years to expand the pubcaster’s services around the world.

Tony Hall

Tony Hall

BBC director general Tony Hall, who has previously said he wanted to extend the BBC’s global reach from 308 million to 500 million, said he “warmly welcomed” the news that will see funding for TV, digital and radio services ramped up.

A new TV service will launch in Somalia along with pan-African channels being rolled out while a digital network will launch in Nigeria. The money will also be used to boost digital and TV services in Russia, and for Russian speakers in neighbouring territories.

The funding, outlined in the UK government’s Strategic Defence and Security Review, revealed that nearly £35m will be provided in 2016/17, with £85m then being invested each year from 2017/18.

The investment appears to mark a U-turn from the government, which forced the BBC to take on the £245m cost of the World Service in 2010 as part of its licence fee settlement.

The new five-year plan, which will also see radio services broadcasting into North Korea, is part of the government’s strategy “for a secure and prosperous United Kingdom, with global reach and global influence.”

Hall said the funding, the single biggest increase in the World Service budget ever committed by any government, “will help the BBC deliver on our commitment to uphold global democracy through accurate, impartial and independent news reporting.”

He added: “The World Service is one of the UK’s most important cultural exports and one of our best sources of global influence. We can now further build on that.”

Earlier this year the BBC said it was exploring the launch of a new satellite TV service for Russia and expanding its digital presence in the country.

The BBC is in the midst of negotiating its royal charter, which governs the pubcaster’s remit, and has been hit by a number of cuts and concerns over the long-term viability of the licence fee funding model.

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