BBC World, the British broadcaster’s 24-hour international news channel, will be available via Comcast by the end of the year in several major American markets. In preparation for its foray into the marketplace, the New York Times notes, the BBC added about a dozen staff members to its Washington bureau — including former NPR News head Dick Meyer to oversee news coverage in the Americas.
BBC Director of Global News Peter Horrocks called the agreement an “important breakthrough.”
The channel will be available to Comcast Xfinity subscribers in Chicago, Philadelphia, Boston, Minneapolis, Indianapolis, Portland, Michigan, western New England and Northern California, with other markets coming next year.
The network’s BBC World News 30-minute program airs in most of the top 30 pubcasting markets.