BBC World News coming to a TV near you? Maybe not…
The Hollywood Reporter’s Steve Brennan writes about an attempt to get BBC World News on U.S. cable and satellite. Good luck. As I’ve said before, if CNN International can’t get deep market penetration, and that’s a Turner network, there’s no chance BBC World will do better…
Who would have thought that the cynical adage “no news is good news” could in fact be the best calling card Britain’s BBC might have when knocking on the door of the potentially gigantic U.S. market for its storied news operations?
But the fact is that the perceived dearth of international news and analysis on U.S. mainstream broadcasters is one of the big marketing ploys the BBC is using to create a bigger footprint in the U.S. for its global TV news. BBC World News’ slogan is “See the world you’ve been missing.”
The campaign approach follows a recent research study carried out by U.S. pollster Frank Luntz for BBC World News, which outlines viewers’ dissatisfaction with stateside news outlets’ provision of international news and sees them as “sensationalist,” “superficial” and offering only a “narrow news agenda,” according to executives at “the Beeb.”
A spokeswoman says that the availability of BBC World News as a 24-hour service is being hyped on the popular BBC America as well as on the Internet. The general idea is to get Americans to flood their local cable and satellite providers with demands for serious international coverage in the form of BBC World News.
BBC NEWS 24 is available via online straming..
However i would like to see CNN internation, BBC World & Sky News all get slots of cable.
Comment by craig gordon — August 1, 2007 @ 11:38 am
Cablevision in the NYC Area has offered BBC World News for the last two years.
FIOS offers BBC World News as of this spring and they also have CNN International.
Comment by Richard W. — August 1, 2007 @ 1:15 pm
Bring ‘em on. The more competition, the better the others will strive to be. CNNI and BBC would be watched in this home.
Comment by erljr — August 1, 2007 @ 1:22 pm
Yes, there is obviously a dire need for more Leftist media in the US. With the AP, Reuters, AFP, CNN, NBC, CBS…we hardly have a choice of which liberal net to choose from.
But since the BBC’s own internal study was recently released stating that they were horribly biased Left. They should fit right in.
Comment by mrbill — August 1, 2007 @ 2:02 pm
It’s not that simple mrbill. If the BBC, which I agree is way far left, were to air here, the left would have to digvide up it’s part of the pie into even smaller slices. That may push some of the left-wing media toward the center, or even to the right.
Americans aren’t as dumb and gullible as you think. We recognize bias for what it is. Otherwise, how do you think we were able to elect Ronald Reagan or either of the George Bush’s?
More competition, no matter where it comes from, is good for America.
Comment by erljr — August 1, 2007 @ 4:47 pm
In Canada BBC WORLD is on Basic Cable. And it seems pretty interesting. CNN international was repeated today I think. It had two (1 Hour) Time Slots
Comment by vbrell — August 1, 2007 @ 6:25 pm
…if you ignore your allegations of it being leftist maybe pay attention to it being INTERNATIONAL NEWS. Not American or Iraq but International. Something cable news in America is missing.
Comment by Mike Beckham — August 1, 2007 @ 9:45 pm
Exactly my point MB. INTERNATIONAL NEWS. The world knows about America. America needs to know about the world. The political slant doesn’t mean much if America doesn’t even know it happened.
Comment by erljr — August 2, 2007 @ 12:44 am