In a deal with BBC, Comcast will expand its carriage of the BBC World News channel from about 6 million to close to 15 million U.S. homes by the end of 2012. BBC World News is currently only offered in New York and Washington, D.C. areas. When the expansion rolls out, the channel will be offered in Chicago, Philadelphia, Boston, Minneapolis, and other markets. The ad-supported channel is currently broadcast into over 200 countries and territories. No word yet on whether or not Comcast will broadcast the channel in it’s native 16:9 (1080i HD) format. BBC’s push is apparently driven by what the company sees as a need in the U.S. for more world news. According to BBC director of global news Peter Horrocks, “We’re a global news organization for a globalized world.”
Source: NY Times
