The BBC’s commercially funded 24-hour news and information channel, BBC World, is set to more than double its reach across Germany as part of the country’s new national digital basic cable TV system.
BBC World is the first international television channel to be included in the main 24-channel package, available from September via Kabel Deutschland GmbH (KDG). This extends the reach of BBC World from around 11m cable homes to a potential 23m cable homes, giving Rhineland-Pfalz and Sachsen-Anhalt access to the channel for the first time, and considerably increasing the channel’s reach in Bavaria, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Saxonia.
“This is an incredibly exciting development, potentially giving all television viewers in Germany access to BBC World’s highly-regarded programmes for the first time,” says Gerry Ritchie, Head of Network Development, BBC World. “The channel is fast becoming a digital ‘must-have’ across Europe – we have a digital terrestrial frequency in Berlin/Brandenburg, and in Italy, Sweden and The Netherlands, with even more to come.”
KDG’s free digital offer, available free upon purchase of a digital decoder, is intended to be at the forefront of Germany’s strategy to transfer TV consumers to digital, in anticipation of analogue switch-off in 2010. The new channel bouquet includes the 24 channels with the strongest reach, in addition to public broadcasters ARD and ZDF.
“With BBC World, we have the international channel with the highest increase in daily viewing in our free digital package,” says Dr. Manuel Cubero, Director Cable TV at KDG, citing data from the European Media and Marketing Survey [EMS] 2004.