Fans of the BBC in the States are set to pay for news for the first time.
In a move that has been trailed for several years, BBC Studios and BBC News are introducing a pay model starting at $49.99 per year or $8.99 per month to give users access to the BBC’s news articles, features and the 24/7 livestream of the BBC News channel.
The BBC said this could be extended to ad-free doc series and films, early release podcasts and newsletters over the coming months.
The BBC said its news website reaches nearly 60 million visitors in the U.S. alone. Notably, the move comes as CNN, which is run by former BBC Director General Mark Thompson, gets set to unveil its “first true news streaming service,” three years after the failed CNN+.
Rebecca Glashow, CEO of BBC Studios Global Media & Streaming, said the move represents the next phase of the BBC’s “bold mission” unveiled more than three years ago.
“W’e’re bringing more of the BBC’s trusted, high-quality content together in one powerful, easy-to-access destination,” she added. “Over the next few months, as we test and learn more about audience needs and habits, additional long-form factual content will be added to the offer for paying users. This is a major milestone and just the beginning of an exciting new chapter.”
With a declining license fee and rising costs, the BBC has been under more and more pressure to generate commercial income via BBC Studios.
It already makes money outside the UK via subscription services like BritBox, BBC Select and BBC Player.
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