Annual Report 2001/02

Television Channels

Our channels now carry our programmes and talent to more than 460 million homes

Our portfolio of wholly-owned and joint venture international channels aims to generate revenue, build equity and raise BBC brand awareness. We now reach more than 460 million homes* – a sharp increase from 365 million last year – the largest global channel reach of any British media company.

Through our network of international platforms, we provide BBC programming for all audiences. Growth comes from identifying new territories and new channel genres, and this year we succeeded in doing both, including launching a new UK food channel.

Partnerships play a major part in our growth. With broadcaster Alliance Atlantis Communications Inc, we launched two channels in Canada – BBC Canada and BBC Kids, the first BBC children’s channel.

Animal Planet and People+Arts, operated in partnership with Discovery Communications Inc (DCI), have again shown impressive growth. Animal Planet is now available in almost 150 million homes and People+Arts in Latin America grew by 18% to 13.2 million homes.

Our partnership with Flextech for the UKTV family of channels made an overall profit in 2001 as well as continuing to generate a cash contribution to BBC Worldwide from programme sales. UK Gold is now the UK’s second most popular cable and satellite channel and this year the partnership launched a dedicated cookery channel, UK Food.

UKTV (Australia) is now received by one million homes, up 9% on last year. This channel is jointly owned by BBC Worldwide, FOXTEL and FremantleMedia.

Our BBC-branded channels have enjoyed growth and critical acclaim. BBC America (marketed and distributed by DCI as part of our global partnership agreement) now reaches 27 million homes, and continues to delight US audiences with comedies, movies, drama and news.

BBC Prime offers comedy, lifestyle and drama in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, with 10.8 million subscribers in 100 countries. The channel is streamed 24 hours a day by Swedish broadband company, B2 Bredband, to 70,000 subscribers’ personal computers in a deal closed earlier this year.

BBC World can now be viewed in 75% of all US households

BBC World, our news channel, reaches over 215 million homes around the world. International television channel providers turned to BBC World’s continuous live feed of the tragic events of September 11, bringing our coverage to an estimated extra 300 million viewers. Emails from US viewers praised the quality and integrity of the reporting and the channel went on to win the prestigious George Polk Award for journalism.