Broadcaster launches first international paid subscription scheme for news coverage
The BBC is today introducing a paid subscription scheme for its US users to receive unlimited access to its news content.
It is the first time the broadcaster will ask international users to pay a direct subscription for news.
The so-called ‘premium experience’ will include unlimited news and feature articles and a livestream of the BBC News channel, costing $49.99 (£37) a year or $8.99 (£6.60) a month. The deal will also include ad-free documentary series, films, early access to podcasts and exclusive newsletters.
Currently, US-based users can access news content for free through its overseas website and app BBC.com, which is overseen by the commercial arm BBC Studios and is supported by advertising. The BBC recently relaunched BBC.com which now reaches nearly 60m people in the US.
Those who do not wish to pay for the premium service will still be able to access some free BBC content, including certain breaking news stories, podcasts, newsletters and radio livestreams.
The subscription offering forms part of the broadcaster’s efforts to raise additional funding outside of the licence fee, and as debate around its future funding methods begin in earnest.
This week, industry heavyweights predicted the survival of the existing model, if on a reformed basis.
The BBC does already charge US users for other content including for the BritBox streaming service and for the BBC Select documentary service via Prime Video, Apple TV and Roku.
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