MUMBAI: Fresh from announcing new distribution deals in the US and Burma, the BBC‘s international television news channel, BBC World News, is unveiling a new look next week when it re-launches from new studios in central London.
From 12 GMT on 14 January the channel will broadcast from new state of the art High Definition studios in the BBC‘s new London headquarters, the redeveloped Broadcasting House.
The channel will also feature a refreshed line-up of programmes and presenters, and will be investing heavily in additional news gathering capacity around the world.
BBC World News journalists will be at the heart of ‘the world‘s newsroom‘ where the BBC‘s UK and international journalism teams have come together to provide output across digital, radio and television and 27 different languages, reaching an audience of 239 million people around the world each week.
Eventually, 6,000 people - more than a quarter of all BBC staff - will be based in Broadcasting House, one of the world‘s largest broadcast complexes, BBC said in a statement.
The channel will also debut new on air talent including Yalda Hakim, one of Australia‘s brightest international journalists, who has joined the channel as a current affairs correspondent and presenter for a new weekly current affairs programme.
BBC World News has also announced that long time BBC News presenter and reporter Jon Sopel is joining the channel to present Global with Jon Sopel, a new weekday international news programme.
BBC Global News Controller of English Richard Porter said, "BBC World News is kicking off the new year with an entirely new look and feel. From virtual reality capability to full HD production, new presenters and a programming line-up that goes from strength to strength, BBC World News audiences will have access to not only the best, most dynamic journalism in the world, but also the latest technology to enhance storytelling and bring viewers inside the stories that shape our world."
BBC Global News COO Jim Egan said, "This re-launch marks the biggest change for BBC World News in at least a decade and is part of a sustained commitment by the BBC to build on our long history of delivering high quality international news by enhancing our TV and digital offers to viewers, advertisers and distribution partners. We aspire to be recognized as the world‘s best international news provider and will be making a series of investments this year to support that ambition.
