

On 14 December 2007, a beta version of a new bbc.co.uk homepage was launched, with the ability to customise the page by adding, removing and rearranging different categories, such as 'News', 'Weather' and 'Entertainment'. The BBC's online video player, the iPlayer has, however, retained an i-prefix in its branding.

Bbc news channel tv#
Interactive TV services continued under the BBCi brand until it was dropped completely in 2008. As of 2005, no longer exists.Īfter three years of consistent use across different platforms, the BBC began to drop the BBCi brand gradually on, the BBC website was renamed bbc.co.uk, after the main URL used to access the site. In 1999, the BBC bought the bbc.com domain name, previously owned by Boston Business Computing, for $375,000, but the price of this purchase was not revealed until six years later. later redirected to the BBC Shop website, run by BBC Worldwide. Later, BBC Online launched licence-fee funded web sites for Top of the Pops and Top Gear, resulting in some duplication.īeeb.com was later refocussed as an online shopping guide, and was closed in 2002. This led to the official launch of BBC Online at the address in April 1997.Īs well as the licence fee funded BBC Worldwide launched the commercially funded, featuring mostly entertainment focused content, with sites including Radio Times, Top Gear and Top of the Pops. The BBC Director General John Birt sought government approval to direct licence fee revenue into the service, describing planned BBC Internet services as the "third medium" joining the BBC's existing TV and radio networks, achieving a change in the BBC Charter. The BBC Multimedia Centre was a team led by Martin Freeth to introduce new media across the corporation.
Bbc news channel free#
Within 12 months, the BBC website offered "Auntie" online discussion groups web pages for select web-related programs and BBC departments free web pages for associate members. At its peak, it had 122 accounts, including FBI bureaus around the world, taking daily updates from 12 feeds. By September, the first commercial service launched, a transcription service via FTP server. Was introduced in April 1994 with some regional information and Open University Production Centre (OUPC) content. This resulted in the closure of several sites, including BBC Switch, BBC Blast, 6-0-6, and the announcement of plans to sell the Douglas Adams created site h2g2. On 24 January 2011, the confirmed cuts of 25% were announced, leaving a £34 million shortfall. On 2 March 2010, the BBC reported that it would cut its website spending by 25% and close BBC 6 Music and Asian Network.

On 26 February 2010 The Times claimed that Mark Thompson, then Director General of the BBC, proposed that the BBC's web output should be cut by 50%, with online staff numbers and budgets reduced by 25% in a bid to scale back BBC operations and allow commercial rivals more room. It was then renamed BBC Online again in 2008, although the service uses the branding "BBC". Originally named BBC Online, it was rebranded as BBCi (which itself was the brand name for interactive TV services) before being named bbc.co.uk. The website has gone through several branding changes since it was launched. Throughout its history, the online plans of the BBC have been subject to competition and complaint from its commercial rivals, which has resulted in various public consultations and government reviews to investigate their claims that its large presence and public funding distorts the UK market. The BBC has had an online presence supporting its TV and radio programmes and web-only initiatives since April 1994, but did not launch officially until 28 April 1997, following government approval to fund it by TV licence fee revenue as a service in its own right. It is a large network of websites including such high-profile sites as BBC News and Sport, the on-demand video and radio services branded BBC iPlayer and BBC Sounds, the children's sites CBBC and CBeebies, and learning services such as Bitesize and Own It. 28 years ago ( ) (launched the BBC Networking Club)Ģ8 April 1997 25 years ago ( 28 April 1997) (as BBC Online)īBC Online, formerly known as BBCi, is the BBC's online service.
