BBC America is an American television network, owned and operated by BBC Worldwide, which was launched on March 29, 1998, available on both cable and satellite. It is one of two BBC branded channels broadcast in the United States, the other being global news channel, BBC World. Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ... is the 88th day of the year (89th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ... For other uses, see BBC (disambiguation). ... A standard DirecTV satellite dish with 1 LNB on a roof DirecTV (trademarked as DIRECTV) is a direct broadcast satellite (DBS) service based in El Segundo, California, USA, that transmits digital satellite television and audio to households in the United States, the Caribbean and Latin America except for Mexico. ... DISH Network is a direct broadcast satellite (DBS) service that provides satellite television and audio programming to households and businesses in the United States, owned by parent company EchoStar Communications Corporation. ... BBC Worldwide Limited is the wholly-owned commercial subsidiary of the British Broadcasting Corporation, formed out of a restructuring of its predecessor BBC Enterprises in 1995. ... is the 88th day of the year (89th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ... Coaxial cable is often used to transmit cable television into the house. ... Satellite television is television delivered by way of communications satellites, as compared to conventional terrestrial television and cable television. ... World News bulletins form the main part of the channels daily schedule. ...

History

The channel launched in March 1998 and has always carried programming from the BBC and other British television networks, including comedy, drama, and lifestyle programmes. It has been said that the idea for BBC America began in a small room at the BBC Television Centre complex in West London. In its early beginnings, the channel focused on repeats of popular lifestyle shows such as Changing Rooms and Ground Force. But loyal British viewers tuned out due to the repeats. BBC America's head of programming later stated that it was important for the channel to establish a niche since non-UK viewers found the lifestyle shows appealing. The evening schedule is where most new programming would appear. When popular UK soap EastEnders was cancelled, the network faced a backlash which caught the attention of the media. Noted for its repeats, the channel lost some its core audience viewers. After CEO Paul Lee moved to ABC Family, the network appointed Bill Hilary from the Comedy Channel. He appointed Kathryn Mitchell in the newly created position of GM. Under Hilary's tenure, BBC America was restructured; it moved its main offices to New York City and saw its programming budget increase tremendously. For other uses, see BBC (disambiguation). ... BBC Television Centre (sometimes abbreviated TVC or TC) in London is home to much of the BBCs television output and, since 1998, almost all of the corporations national TV and radio news output by BBC News. ... Satellite image of the inner part of West London Ayad Dibis is the best in West London. ... ABC Family is an American cable television network currently owned by Disney-ABC Television Group, a division of The Walt Disney Company. ... Comedy Centrals old logo Comedy Central is a cable television channel in the United States. ...

Distribution and availability

BBC America is distributed in association with Discovery Networks, the United States division of Discovery Communications and parent company of the Discovery Channel, which also handles the affiliate and advertising sales. Unlike the BBC's commercial-free domestic networks, which are supported through the licence fee, BBC America is wholly advertising-supported and its programs are interrupted by commercials. Discovery Communications LLC (DCI) is an American global media and entertainment company that began as a single channel, the Discovery Channel, launched in 1985. ... Discovery Channel is a cable and satellite TV channel founded by John Hendricks which is distributed by Discovery Communications. ... A television licence (or more correctly broadcast receiver licence, as it usually also pays for public radio) is an official licence required in many countries for all owners of television (and sometimes also radio) receivers. ...

Outside the U.S.

BBC America is also available in Bermuda on Bermuda CableVision's digital cable TV service. Cable television or Community Antenna Television (CATV) (and often shortened to cable) is a system of providing television, FM radio programming and other services to consumers via radio waves transmitted directly to people’s televisions through fixed coaxial cables as opposed to the over-the-air method used in...

On Demand

BBC America On Demand refers to a selection of BBC America programs available as video on demand programming on many U.S. digital cable systems. These video-on-demand programs are usually available for 2-4 weeks before being rotated out. These programs are offered commercial-free though some programs are interrupted for network promos. Video on demand (VOD) systems allow users to select and watch video and clip content over a network as part of an interactive television system. ...

BBC America HD

An HD version of BBC America is slated to debut in 2008, per promos now airing on the network.

Programming

The following is a sample of programming currently offered by the channel.

Current programming

• Afterlife*
• Bargain Hunt
• BBC World News America
• Cash in the Attic
• The Catherine Tate Show
• Changing Rooms
• Coupling (UK)
• Doctor Who
• Gordon Ramsay's The F Word*
• Footballers' Wives*
• Hell's Kitchen (UK)*
• In The City*
• Hollyoaks*
• Hotel Babylon
• House Invaders
• How Clean Is Your House?* (UK Version)
• Life On Mars
• Little Britain
• The Mighty Boosh
• My Family
• The Naked Chef
• Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares*
• Robin Hood
• Top Gear (UK Version)
• Torchwood
• What Not to Wear
• Weakest Link (UK)

afterlife is a British television drama series, produced by independent producion company Clerkenwell Films for the ITV1 network. ... Bargain Hunt is a daytime television programme on BBC One, which started in the year 2000. ... BBC World News America is a current affairs news programme produced by BBC News to be shown initially for the American Audiences, It is shown daily on BBC America, BBC World (full hour) and on BBC News 24 (from :30 only). ... Cash in the Attic is a UK television show on the BBC. It premiered in September 2001 and has run for six seasons. ... The Catherine Tate Show is an award-winning British television sketch comedy written by Catherine Tate who stars in all of the shows sketches, which feature a wide range of characters. ... A changing room or dressing room is a room or enclosure in a clothing store where customers may try on clothes before purchasing them. ... Coupling is a British television sitcom written by Steven Moffat that aired on BBC2 from May 2000 to 2004. ... For other uses, see Doctor Who (disambiguation). ... The F-Word is a British food magazine and cooking show featuring celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay. ... See also WAGs, acronym for footballers wives and girlfriends. Footballers Wives was a British television drama surrounding the fictional premiership football club Earls Park F.C., its players, and their wives. ... Hells Kitchen is a British cookery-based ITV reality show. ... Hollyoaks is a British television soap opera, first broadcast on 23 October 1995, on Channel 4. ... This article is about a television drama. ... Aggie MacKenzie and Kim Woodburn, stars of How Clean Is Your House? How Clean Is Your House? is a British entertainment/lifestyle television programme in which expert cleaners Kim Woodburn and Aggie MacKenzie visit filthy homes and then clean them. ... Life on Mars is a BAFTA and International Emmy award-winning British television drama series, which was first shown on BBC One in January and February 2006. ... This article is about the British TV show Little Britain. ... The Mighty Boosh is a British cult comedy about two friends who go on magical adventures. ... My Family is a British sitcom starring Robert Lindsay and Zoë Wanamaker that first aired in 2000. ... James Trevor Oliver, MBE (May 27, 1975), better known as Jamie Oliver and The Naked Chef, is an English celebrity chef. ... For the US version of this show, see Kitchen Nightmares. ... Robin Hood is a British television programme, produced by independent production company Tiger Aspect Productions for BBC One, with co-funding from the BBC America cable television channel in the United States. ... Top Gear may refer to: Top Gear (current format), a BBC television series about cars and motorsport in its new format (2002–present). ... For plants known as torchwood, see Burseraceae. ... This article is about the UK version. ... Weakest Link (early episodes had the on-screen title The Weakest Link) is a television game show which first appeared in the United Kingdom on BBC Two on 14 August 2000. ...

Former programming

• As Time Goes By
• Are You Being Served?
• The Avengers*
• Benny Hill
• EastEnders
• Goodness Gracious Me
• Hex*
• Keeping Up Appearances
• The Kumars at No. 42
• Monty Python's Flying Circus
• Murphy's Law
• My Hero
• So Graham Norton*
• Waterloo Road
• Wire in the Blood*
• Fawlty Towers

Note: Programmes marked with * have not originally been broadcast by the BBC but were either original ITV, Channel 4 or Sky One productions. Judi Dench as Jean Pargetter Geoffrey Palmer as Lionel Hardcastle As Time Goes By is a British comedy TV series that aired from 1992 to 2002; it used the song As Time Goes By as its theme. ... Are You Being Served? was a long-running British sitcom broadcast from 1972 to 1985. ... The Avengers is a British 1960s television series featuring secret agents in a fantasy 1960s Britain. ... Alfred Hawthorn Hill (21 January 1924 – 19 April 1992), better known as Benny Hill, was a prolific English comic, actor and singer, best known for his television programme, The Benny Hill Show. ... EastEnders is a popular BBC television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC1 on 19 February 1985[4] and continuing to date. ... Goodness Gracious Me is a BBC English language Sketch comedy show originally on BBC Radio 4 and later televised on BBC Two (comprising of three seasons running from from 1996 to 1998) based on four British Asian actors: Sanjeev Bhaskar, Kulvinder Ghir, Meera Syal and Nina Wadia. ... Hex is a British television programme developed by Shine Limited and aired on the Sky One satellite channel. ... Keeping Up Appearances is a British sitcom starring Patricia Routledge as social snob Hyacinth Bucket. ... The Kumars at No. ... This article is about the television series. ... Murphys Law is a BBC television drama, produced by BBC Northern Ireland, starring James Nesbitt as undercover police officer, Tommy Murphy. ... My Hero is a British television series that first ran on BBC One from February 2000 to September 2006. ... So Graham Norton was a British television programme, hosted by Irish personality Graham Norton. ... Waterloo Road is a BBC television drama series set in Rochdale[1], and is about a failing comprehensive school. ... Wire In The Blood is an ITV television series which teams a university clinical psychologist, Dr. Tony Hill (Robson Green), with a tough female Detective Inspector, Carol Jordan (Hermione Norris). ... Fawlty Towers is a British sitcom made by the BBC and first broadcast on BBC2 in 1975. ... Independent Television (generally known as ITV, but also as ITV Network) is a public service network of British commercial television broadcasters, set up under the Independent Television Authority (ITA) to provide competition to the BBC. ITV is the oldest commercial television network in the UK. Since 1990 and the Broadcasting... This article is about the British television station. ... The tone or style of this article or section may not be appropriate for Wikipedia. ...

Most of the non news programming is edited either for adult content or to allow for commercials. However, many comedy programs run in specially formatted 40-minute blocks that allow them to run unedited, though some with adult content are edited.

Original Programming

BBC America began producing its own shows and joint productions in 2004. This has included Sharpe's Challenge, part of the Sharpe series of TV movies and co-produced with ITV; also The State Within, a co-production with the BBC; and Jekyll. This article is about the television series. ... Independent Television (generally known as ITV, but also as ITV Network) is a public service network of British commercial television broadcasters, set up under the Independent Television Authority (ITA) to provide competition to the BBC. ITV is the oldest commercial television network in the UK. Since 1990 and the Broadcasting... The State Within is a 2006 British television drama starring Jason Isaacs, Sharon Gless and Ben Daniels. ... For other uses, see BBC (disambiguation). ... Jekyll is a British television drama series produced by Hartswood Films and Stagescreen Productions for BBC One. ...

Newscasts

BBC America simulcasts news bulletins from its sister concern, BBC World, a global news channel seen in 200 million homes around the world. World News bulletins form the main part of the channels daily schedule. ...

In the mornings (6-9am ET), the network airs a full, three-hour simulcast of BBC World. The simulcast consists of editions of BBC World News, World Business Report, Sport Today, Asia Today and a one-hour bulletin called World News Today. BBC World News ident, currently used after relaunch in December 2003. ... The World Business Report ident since 2003. ... Asia Today is shown on BBC World (above), but is also simulcast on other international BBC channels. ... World News Today launched in July 2006. ...

In the evenings at 7-8pm ET and repeated at 10-11pm ET, BBC America airs BBC World News America, presented from Washington by Matt Frei. Katty Kay serves as Washington correspondent on the programme; Rome Hartman (formerly of CBS Evening News) is executive producer. BBC World News America is a current affairs news programme produced by BBC News to be shown initially for the American Audiences, It is shown daily on BBC America, BBC World (full hour) and on BBC News 24 (from :30 only). ... Matt Frei (born 26 November 1963 in Essen, Germany) is the BBCs Washington, D. C. correspondent. ... Katty Kay is a Washington D.C. based reporter and journalist covering politics for the BBC. Kay also makes frequent appearances as a guest panelist on The Chris Matthews Show on CNBC. She is married to fellow BBC reporter Tom Carver and has three children. ... CBS Evening News is the flagship nightly television news program of the American television network CBS. The network has broadcast this program since 1948, and has used the CBS Evening News title since 1963. ...

In the autumn of 2007, the network will unveil a weekly series called Paxman. The show will be fronted by Newsnight presenter Jeremy Paxman. He is to introduce a synopsis of Newsnight items with an international aspect and is expected to bring his brash interviewing style to bear on American politicians. "Jeremy Paxman is the sort of person that Americans will just eat up," Garth Ancier told the Financial Times. Newsnight is a British daily news analysis, current affairs and politics programme broadcast between 22:30 and 23:20 on weekdays on BBC Two. ... Jeremy Dickson Paxman (born 11 May 1950) is an English BBC journalist, news presenter and author. ... Garth Ancier (born September 3, 1957 in New Jersey) is an American television executive. ...

During major breaking news situations, the network will sometimes take BBC World's coverage and pre-empt regular programming. The London Bombings in July 2005 were one such example. However, BBC World itself is not currently widely available in the U.S. as a separate channel (although it does appear on several cable systems throughout the United States). The 7 July 2005 London bombings (also called the 7/7 bombings) were a series of coordinated terrorist bomb blasts that hit Londons public transport system during the morning rush hour. ...

See also

BBC Portal

• List of DirecTV channels
• List of Dish Network channels

Image File history File links Portal. ... // Below is a numerical representation of the DirecTV channel lineup. ... This is a list of the channels receivable from Dish Network. ...

External links

• BBC America website
• Anglophenia - BBC America's blog
• BBC America On Demand Webpage