BBC to start charging US-based consumers for news and TV coverage
The BBC is to begin charging US-based users for unlimited access to its news content and rolling televised coverage, as it searches for new ways to ease the pressure on its finances.
In the first scheme asking users outside the UK to pay a direct subscription for its news content, US users will be offered the chance to pay for a 'premium experience', including unlimited news and feature articles and a livestream of the BBC News channel.
Ad-free documentary series, films, early access to podcasts and exclusive newsletters will be tested as part of the deal, which launches on Thursday and will be targeted at those who are already heavy users of the BBC's content.
It comes after the Guardian revealed earlier this month that BBC bosses were considering the idea. The initial phase of the launch will offer the premium package for $49.99 (£37) a year, or $8.99 (£6.60) a month.
Senior BBC figures believe there is a real opportunity to raise far more commercial income in the US. They believe there could be an appetite to pay for its brand of journalism, given the politically partisan reputation of some US television networks.
It will see the BBC compete directly with the likes of CNN, headed by the former BBC director general Mark Thompson, which is launching a streaming subscription service later this year.
Currently, users in the US can access BBC journalism for free through BBC.com, which is overseen by the corporation's commercial arm, BBC Studios. Unlike in Britain, where users pay for content through the licence fee, BBC.com already carries advertising.
The search for subscribers in the US is a sign of the BBC's desperation to boost its ailing coffers. Income from the licence fee has fallen significantly over the last 15 years, while it has also had to contend with the inflated costs of making television after the arrival of the big streamers.
The move also demonstrates the BBC's willingness to explore new revenue streams to ministers as talks begin over the renewal of its royal charter – a process that will decide the immediate future of its funding model.
Rebecca Glashow, the chief executive of BBC global media and streaming, said: 'We see the BBC as the world's most trusted global news brand, and we have heard that time and time again. We provide incredibly distinctive global news reporting in this market and we have a distinct relationship with our audiences, where they trust us. And I don't have to tell you how incredibly valuable and hard it is to create that relationship with consumers in this moment.'
While this is the furthest the corporation has gone in terms of charging overseas audiences for its news coverage, it does already charge for other content. In the US market, consumers pay to access the BBC Select documentary service via Prime Video, Apple TV and Roku. The BBC also owns the BritBox streaming service.
The corporation has been targeting the US for some time, recently relaunching its overseas website and app. BBC.com now reaches 139 million visitors globally, including nearly 60 million in the US.
US consumers who opt not to pay for the premium service will still have access to some free BBC content, including selected breaking news stories, podcasts, newsletters and radio livestreams. Licence fee payers travelling to the US will still have access to the BBC's content through its updated app.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
43 minutes ago
- The Independent
U.S. economy shrank 0.5% between January and March, worse than earlier estimates revealed
The U.S. economy shrank at a 0.5% annual pace from January through March as President Donald Trump's trade wars disrupted business, the Commerce Department reported Thursday in a downgrade from its previous estimate. First-quarter growth sank under a surge of imports as companies in the United States rushed to bring in foreign goods before Trump could impose tariffs on them. The Commerce Department previously estimated that the economy fell 0.2% in the first quarter. The January-March drop in gross domestic product — the nation's output of goods and services — reversed a 2.4% increase in the last three months of 2024 and marked the first time in three years that the economy contracted. Imports expanded 37.9%, fastest since 2020, and pushed GDP down by nearly 4.7 percentage points. Consumer spending also slowed sharply. And federal government spending fell at a 4.6% annual pace, the biggest drop since 1986. Trade deficits reduce GDP. But that's just a matter of mathematics. GDP is supposed to count only what's produced domestically, not stuff that comes in from abroad. So imports — which show up in the GDP report as consumer spending or business investment — have to be subtracted out to keep them from artificially inflating domestic production. The first-quarter import influx likely won't be repeated in the April-June quarter and therefore shouldn't weigh on GDP. In fact, economists expect second-quarter growth to bounce back to 3% in the second quarter, according to a survey of forecasters by the data firm FactSet. Thursday's report was the Commerce Department's third and final report on first-quarter growth. The first look at April-June GDP growth is due July 30.
Reuters
an hour ago
- Reuters
Canada home prices to decline 2% as trade war hits homebuyer confidence
BENGALURU, June 26 (Reuters) - Canada home prices are set to decline 2% this year and stagnate in 2026, a significant downgrade from expectations of modest rises just three months ago, according to a Reuters poll of property experts who showed significant concern over the U.S.-led trade war. Like most segments of the economy, the housing market has been dented by U.S. President Donald Trump's barrage of tariffs on steel, aluminum and automobiles and Canada's own set of duties in retaliation. Fears of job losses due to worsening business sentiment have dragged home buyers' confidence. That, along with increasing supply, has led to an around 3% decline in average house prices so far this year. The Bank of Canada's swift 225 basis points of interest rate cuts over the past year have prevented a deeper slump. Also, sales were up last month partly due to improving affordability, mainly among first-time homebuyers. Average home prices will fall 2.0% nationally this year, according to the June 13-25 Reuters poll of 16 housing market experts, in contrast to a prediction of a 2.0% rise in a March survey. "Uncertainty (around U.S. policies) has definitely paralysed the housing market, and it's done more than that. It's also affected businesses in terms of their capital spending plans and their hiring. Buyers are concerned about job security and being able to afford a house, so they're on the sidelines," said Tony Stillo, director of Canada economics at Oxford Economics. "Looking forward, if there's a modest trade war could deepen the downturn and extend it through end-2025." Average home prices are now expected to stagnate next year, compared to a 3.4% rise predicted just three months ago. Home prices in Toronto are predicted to fall 4.0% and 2.0% in Vancouver, respectively, in 2025. Still, expected price falls are shallower compared with how much they have already been reported down so far this year, suggesting a modest recovery ahead. Expectations of at least one more rate cut this year may also put a floor under the market. "We expect home prices, though likely to weaken over the next two or three months, to stabilise later this year and then to resume moderate recovery in 2026," said Sal Guatieri, senior economist at BMO Capital Markets. "Now that's all predicated on two things. One, the trade war de-escalates and two, the BoC will resume cutting interest rates - we believe by a further 75 bps reduction by early next year." Most respondents, 10 of 12, said affordability would improve for first-time homebuyers over the coming year. Average home prices are still over 10 times the average annual income. Asked about the supply of affordable homes over the coming year, 10 said it would increase marginally compared to 2024 and one said increase significantly. "We expect affordability will continue to improve, but only modestly. It could maybe reverse half of the loss during the pandemic, but still not going to be back to what it was before the pandemic," said Robert Hogue, assistant chief economist at RBC. "Hopefully, lower building costs or some efforts to reduce regulatory fees will help out at the it probably would need more than that. We need some more transformational changes to really make a difference." (Other stories from the Q2 global Reuters housing poll)
Finextra
an hour ago
- Finextra
Aon launches AI platform for commercial insurance placement
Aon, a leading global professional services firm, today announced the launch of Aon Broker Copilot, a proprietary, patent-pending platform that uses artificial intelligence, large-language models and predictive analytics to transform the commercial insurance placement process. 0 This content is provided by an external author without editing by Finextra. It expresses the views and opinions of the author. Developed in-house and co-designed with the firm's frontline brokers, Aon Broker Copilot is designed to streamline complex workflows, elevate placement strategy and deliver better outcomes for clients navigating an increasingly volatile risk environment. "Aon Broker Copilot equips our brokers with the tools to lead with insight powered by client priorities and real-time data," said Clyde Bernstein, head of placement technology and trading analytics for Aon. "For the first time, we're capturing and structuring data across all submissions—quoted or not taken up—so we can provide brokers and clients with live intelligence of pricing, carrier appetite and market sentiment. It's a smarter, faster way to make better decisions." By capturing and standardizing data from every submission—whether quoted, bound, or declined—Aon Broker Copilot provides an unprecedented view into how the global insurance market is pricing risk. This comprehensive dataset allows Aon to move beyond anecdotal insights, enabling brokers to deliver sharper, real-time advice to clients based on actual market behaviour, not just completed deals. It fills a critical intelligence gap, helping clients make better decisions in a dynamic and competitive environment. The platform integrates seamlessly with Aon's suite of Risk Analyzer and is powered by one of the industry's largest repositories of structured risk trading data. It enables Aon's brokers to surface analytics at the point of decision, prepare higher-quality submissions and engage with carriers in a more strategic and insightful manner. "As risk becomes more complex, the future of broking will belong to firms that can combine expertise with intelligence at scale. Aon Broker Copilot reflects how Aon is undertaking one of the most ambitious digital transformations across the broker universe. The platform is the next step in predictive broking, enabling our brokers to operate with greater precision, consistency and insight to deliver better outcomes for our clients around the world," said Joe Peiser, CEO of Commercial Risk for Aon. "The industry is undergoing a fundamental shift." "We're redefining how capital matches risk, harnessing digital innovation to deliver faster, smarter solutions that help our clients tackle emerging challenges before they escalate. By staying ahead of new and evolving threats, we ensure our clients are resilient, informed and primed to grow in a world where their most valuable assets are now intangible not physical." Launching first with Aon's U.S. National Property and London Global Broking Centre Property teams, the platform will expand to additional business lines and geographies throughout 2025 and 2026. Aon Broker Copilot also demonstrates the firm's 3x3 Plan in action—raising the bar on service delivery and scaling innovation across the firm. Specifically, in 2024, Aon committed $1 billion to help clients make better decisions on interconnected issues through its Risk Capital and Human Capital capabilities, while deploying AI and advanced analytics to turn data into real-time, actionable insight. With Aon Broker Copilot, the firm advances that mission and modernizes the business of broking, bringing together the firm's global scale, proprietary data and AI capabilities to help clients access capital with greater speed, clarity and confidence.
