Separate broadcasts for UK and international viewers introduced at the start of the General Election campaign due to end after the State Opening of Parliament, 17th July.
- BBC News offered viewers in the UK a separate feed between 9am and 8pm weekdays in the run up to the Election.
- Separate feeds continued after the Election to cover the latest political stories as a new Government starts work.
- But BBC planning to combine UK and international feeds after the State Opening of Parliament.
The temporary suspension of the unpopular merged BBC News channel service is set to end on the day after the State Opening of Parliament, according to preliminary schedules.
BBC News has offered UK viewers a bespoke stream of news on weekdays since shortly after the General Election was called. The channel also reinstated a late night UK-focused bulletin on weeknights following Newsnight.
That arrangement has continued following the Election with programmes including BBC News Now, Business Today, Verified Live and The World Today going out on the international feeds of the channel only.
On Wednesday 17th July, BBC News will offer extended live coverage of the State Opening of Parliament from 10:30am, with analysis and reaction from the King’s Speech through the afternoon.
But according to preliminary schedules published by the BBC, from Thursday 18th July, the UK-only service will end with a return to a combined service.
The move will see UK viewers once again only seeking bespoke output if there’s a major UK-specific breaking news story. Further news schedule tweaks are expected as the BBC reacts to the delayed summer Parliamentary recess. Parliament was due to rise for summer on 23rd July, but is now due to remain sitting until the end of the month.
Context: BBC News channel changes
The BBC introduced a combined service in April 2023 as part of a cost-saving and efficiency drive.
The move saw UK viewers complain of abrupt transitions, technical gremlins and programmes being crashed in/out of, as UK-opts started or ended.
However, due to ongoing funding restraints and uncertainty over the future funding of the BBC, there’s been no indication of any longer-term move to unwind some of the combined programmes. The new Government will be responsible for setting the terms of the BBC’s new Royal Charter as well as determining how the broadcaster shall be funded after 2027.
By: Marc Thornham | Image: BBC News screengrab