BBC

==Services==
===Television===
{{Main|BBC Television}}
[[File:BBC weekly reach 2011-12.png|thumb|right|upright=1.14|Weekly reach of the BBC's domestic services from 2011 to 2012<ref name="BBC Trust annual report 11/12">{{cite web|title=BBC publishes Annual Report for 2011/12|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/bbctrust/news/press_releases/2012/annual_report.html|publisher=BBC Trust|access-date=21 September 2012|date=16 July 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121221074948/http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbctrust/news/press_releases/2012/annual_report.html|archive-date=21 December 2012|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="BBC Annual Report 2011-12 reach pages">{{cite web|title=Part 2 – The BBC Executive's Review and Assessment|url=http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/annualreport/pdf/bbc_executive_2011_12.pdf|website=Annual Report 2011–12|publisher=BBC|access-date=21 September 2012|location=London, United Kingdom|pages=4–9|date=16 July 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121030111815/http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/annualreport/pdf/bbc_executive_2011_12.pdf|archive-date=30 October 2012|url-status=live}}</ref> Reach is the number of people who use the service at any point for more than 15 minutes in a week.<ref name="BBC Annual Report 2011-12 reach pages"/>]]
The BBC operates several television channels nationally and internationally. [[BBC One]] and [[BBC Two]] are the flagship television channels. Others include the youth channel [[BBC Three]] ,{{efn|BBC Three originally ceased broadcasting as a linear television channel in February 2016 and returned to television in February 2022}}<ref>{{cite news | title = BBC Three returns to TV with RuPaul special and regional focus | url = https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-60205751 | date = 1 February 2022 | access-date = 7 March 2022 | archive-date = 19 March 2022 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220319060811/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-60205751 | url-status = live }}</ref> cultural and documentary channel [[BBC Four]], the [[BBC News (TV channel)|British]] and [[BBC News (international TV channel)|international]] variations of the BBC News channel, parliamentary channel BBC Parliament, and two children's channels, [[CBBC]] and [[CBeebies]]. Digital television is now entrenched in the UK, with analogue transmission completely phased out {{as of|2012|December|lc=y}}.<ref>{{cite news | title = BBC News Report | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6453087.stm | date = 15 March 2007 | access-date =15 March 2007| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070317195832/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6453087.stm| archive-date= 17 March 2007 | url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:BBC Television weekly reach 2011-12.png|thumb|left|upright=1.364|Weekly reach of the BBC's domestic television channels 2011–12<ref>{{cite web | title=BBC Annual Report 2011-12 reach pages | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/bbctrust/news/press_releases/2012/annual_report.html | access-date=20 December 2019 | archive-date=21 December 2012 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121221074948/http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbctrust/news/press_releases/2012/annual_report.html | url-status=live }}</ref>]]
BBC One is a regionalised TV service which provides opt-outs throughout the day for local news and other local programming. These variations are more pronounced in the BBC "Nations", i.e. [[BBC Northern Ireland|Northern Ireland]], [[BBC Scotland|Scotland]] and [[BBC Wales|Wales]], where the presentation is mostly carried out locally on BBC One and Two, and where programme schedules can vary greatly from that of the network. BBC Two variations exist in the Nations; however, [[BBC English Regions|English regions]] today rarely have the option to opt out as regional programming now only exists on BBC One. In 2019, the Scottish variation of BBC Two ceased operation and was replaced with the networked version in favour of the [[BBC Scotland (TV channel)|BBC Scotland channel]]. BBC Two was also the first channel to be transmitted on 625 lines in 1964, then carry a small-scale regular colour service from 1967. BBC One would follow in November 1969.

A new [[Scottish Gaelic]] television channel, [[BBC Alba]], was launched in September 2008. It is also the first multi-genre channel to come entirely from Scotland with almost all of its programmes made in Scotland. The service was initially only available via [[Satellite television|satellite]] but since June 2011 has been available to viewers in Scotland on [[Freeview (UK)|Freeview]] and cable television.<ref>{{cite news | title = BBC Alba Freeview date unveiled | url = https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-13479551 | date = 23 May 2011 | access-date = 28 July 2011 | work = BBC News | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110526044519/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-13479551 | archive-date = 26 May 2011 | url-status = live }}</ref>

[[File:The Reichenbach Fall filming (3).JPG|thumb|230px|Filming an episode of BBC One's ''[[Sherlock (TV series)|Sherlock]]'' (with [[Benedict Cumberbatch]] as Sherlock Holmes pictured) in July 2011]]
The BBC currently operates [[High-definition television|HD]] simulcasts of all its nationwide channels with the exception of [[BBC Parliament]]. Until 26 March 2013, a separate channel called [[BBC HD]] was available, in place of [[BBC Two HD]]. It launched on 15 May 2006, following a 12-month trial of the broadcasts. It became a proper channel in 2007, and screened HD programmes as simulcasts of the main network, or as repeats. The corporation has been producing programmes in the format for many years, and stated that it hoped to produce 100% of new programmes in HDTV by 2010.<ref>{{cite web | title = BBC Press Release: ''BBC to trial High Definition broadcasts in 2006'' | url = http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2005/11_november/08/hdtv.shtml | date = 8 November 2005 | access-date = 7 July 2006 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060518191221/http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2005/11_november/08/hdtv.shtml | archive-date = 18 May 2006 | url-status = live }}</ref> On 3 November 2010, a high-definition simulcast of BBC One was launched, entitled [[BBC One HD]], and BBC Two HD launched on 26 March 2013, replacing BBC HD. Scotland's new television channel, BBC Scotland, launched in February 2019.<ref>{{Cite web|title=BBC Scotland – BBC Scotland – Welcome to your brand new television channel: BBC Scotland|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/1hx87NrNp3Y45hF2NyQDhFs/welcome-to-your-brand-new-television-channel-bbc-scotland|website=BBC|language=en-GB|access-date=16 May 2020|archive-date=7 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201107233207/https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/1hx87NrNp3Y45hF2NyQDhFs/welcome-to-your-brand-new-television-channel-bbc-scotland|url-status=live}}</ref>

In the Republic of Ireland, Belgium, the Netherlands and Switzerland, the BBC channels are available in a number of ways. In these countries digital and cable operators carry a range of BBC channels. These include BBC One, BBC Two, BBC Four and BBC World News, although viewers in the Republic of Ireland may receive BBC services via overspill from transmitters in Northern Ireland or Wales, or via "deflectors"—transmitters in the Republic which rebroadcast broadcasts from the UK,<ref>[https://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/aerial-warfare-1268455.html Aerial warfare] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171009190739/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/aerial-warfare-1268455.html |date=9 October 2017 }}, [[John Waters (columnist)|John Waters]], ''[[The Independent]]'', 21 April 1997</ref> received off-air, or from digital satellite.

Since 1975, the BBC has also provided its TV programmes to the [[British Forces Broadcasting Service|British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS)]], allowing members of [[Military of the United Kingdom|UK military]] serving abroad to watch them on four dedicated TV channels. From 27 March 2013, BFBS will carry versions of BBC One and BBC Two, which will include children's programming from [[CBBC (TV channel)|CBBC]], as well as carrying programming from [[BBC Three]] on a new channel called [[Forces TV|BFBS Extra]].

Since 2008, all the BBC channels are available to watch online through the [[BBC iPlayer]] service. This online streaming ability came about following experiments with live streaming, involving streaming certain channels in the UK.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2008/11_november/19/simulcast.shtml |title=BBC One and BBC Two to be simulcast from 27 November |publisher=BBC |date=19 November 2008 |access-date=15 November 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110825055004/http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2008/11_november/19/simulcast.shtml |archive-date=25 August 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref> In February 2014, Director-General Tony Hall announced that the corporation needed to save £100&nbsp;million. In March 2014, the BBC confirmed plans for BBC Three to become an internet-only channel.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-26447089|work=BBC News|access-date=5 March 2014|title=BBC Three to be axed as on-air channel|date=5 March 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140305163013/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-26447089|archive-date=5 March 2014|url-status=live}}</ref>

===BBC Genome Project===
{{Main|BBC Genome Project}}

In December 2012, the BBC completed a digitisation exercise, scanning the listings of all BBC programmes from an entire run of about 4,500 copies of the ''[[Radio Times]]'' magazine from the first, 1923, issue to 2009 (later listings already being held electronically), the "BBC Genome project", with a view to creating an online database of its programme output.<ref name="Kelion">{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-20625884 |title=BBC finishes Radio Times archive digitisation effort |last=Kelion |first=Leo |work=[[BBC Online]] |access-date=20 January 2013 |date=7 December 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130209063924/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-20625884 |archive-date=9 February 2013 |url-status=live }}</ref> An earlier ten months of listings are to be obtained from other sources.<ref name="Kelion" /> They identified around five million programmes, involving 8.5&nbsp;million actors, presenters, writers and technical staff.<ref name="Kelion" /> The Genome project was opened to public access on 15 October 2014, with corrections to OCR errors and changes to advertised schedules being [[Crowdsourcing|crowdsourced]].<ref name="BBC-RTANL">{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/aboutthebbc/entries/108fa5e5-cc28-3ea8-b4a0-129912a74efc |title=Genome – Radio Times archive now live |website=[[BBC Online]] |author=BBC Archive Development |date=15 October 2014 |access-date=1 March 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141229185553/http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/aboutthebbc/entries/108fa5e5-cc28-3ea8-b4a0-129912a74efc |archive-date=29 December 2014 |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Radio===
[[File:BBC Radio weekly reach 2011-12.png|thumb|right|upright=1.364|Weekly reach of the BBC's national radio stations, on both analogue and digital (2012)<ref name="BBC Annual Report 2011-12 reach pages"/>]]
{{Main|BBC Radio|BBC Local Radio}}

The BBC has ten radio stations serving the whole of the UK, a further seven stations in the "national regions" ([[Wales]], [[Scotland]], and [[Northern Ireland]]), and 39 other local stations serving defined areas of England. Of the ten national stations, five are major stations and are available on [[FM broadcasting|FM]] or [[AM broadcasting|AM]] as well as on [[Digital radio in the United Kingdom|DAB]] and online. These are BBC Radio 1, offering new music and popular styles and being notable for its chart show; BBC Radio 2, playing [[Adult contemporary music|Adult contemporary]], country and soul music amongst many other genres; BBC Radio 3, presenting classical and jazz music together with some spoken-word programming of a cultural nature in the evenings; BBC Radio 4, focusing on current affairs, factual and other speech-based programming, including drama and comedy; and BBC Radio 5 Live, broadcasting 24-hour news, sport and talk programmes.

[[File:Current-portrait-of-the-radio-Ingrid-Bergman-142360829576.jpg|thumb|upright|left|Swedish actress [[Ingrid Bergman]] being interviewed on BBC Radio in October 1954]]

In addition to these five stations, the BBC runs a further five stations that broadcast on DAB and online only. These stations supplement and expand on the big five stations, and were launched in 2002. [[BBC Radio 1Xtra]] sisters Radio 1, and broadcasts new black music and urban tracks. [[BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra]] sisters 5 Live and offers extra sport analysis, including broadcasting sports that previously were not covered. [[BBC Radio 6 Music]] offers alternative music genres and is notable as a platform for new artists.

[[BBC Radio 7]], later renamed [[BBC Radio 4 Extra]], provided archive drama, comedy and children's programming. Following the change to Radio 4 Extra, the service has dropped a defined children's strand in favour of family-friendly drama and comedy. In addition, new programmes to complement Radio 4 programmes were introduced such as ''[[Ambridge Extra]]'', and ''Desert Island Discs revisited''. The final station is the [[BBC Asian Network]], providing music, talk and news to this section of the community. This station evolved out of Local radio stations serving certain areas, and as such this station is available on [[Medium Wave]] frequency in some areas of the Midlands.

As well as the national stations, the BBC also provides 40 [[BBC Local Radio]] stations in England and the Channel Islands, each named for and covering a particular city and its surrounding area (e.g. [[BBC Radio Bristol]]), county or region (e.g. [[BBC Three Counties Radio]]), or geographical area (e.g. [[BBC Radio Solent]] covering the central south coast). A further six stations broadcast in what the BBC terms "the national regions": Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. These are [[BBC Radio Wales]] (in English), [[BBC Radio Cymru]] (in [[Welsh language|Welsh]]), [[BBC Radio Scotland]] (in English), [[BBC Radio nan Gaidheal]] (in [[Scottish Gaelic language|Scottish Gaelic]]), [[BBC Radio Ulster]], and [[BBC Radio Foyle]], the latter being an opt-out station from Radio Ulster for the north-west of Northern Ireland.

The BBC's UK national channels are also broadcast in the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man (although these [[Crown Dependencies]] are outside the UK), and in the former there are two local stations – [[BBC Guernsey]] and [[BBC Radio Jersey]]. There is no BBC local radio station, however, in the Isle of Man, partly because the island has long been served by the popular independent commercial station, [[Manx Radio]], which predates the existence of BBC Local Radio. BBC services in the dependencies are financed from [[television licence]] fees which are set at the same level as those payable in the UK, although collected locally. This is the subject of some controversy in the Isle of Man since, as well as having no BBC Local Radio service, the island also lacks a local television news service analogous to that provided by [[BBC Channel Islands News|BBC Channel Islands]].<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/isle-of-man-news/tv-licence-fee-not-value-for-money-inquiry-hears-1-3053173 |title=TV licence fee not value for money – inquiry hears |work=IOM Today |location= Douglas |date=8 February 2011 |access-date=1 January 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20121221125549/http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/isle-of-man-news/tv-licence-fee-not-value-for-money-inquiry-hears-1-3053173 |archive-date=21 December 2012 }}</ref>

[[File:BBC World Questions - Hungary.jpg|thumb|[[BBC World Service]], with [[Jonathan Dimbleby]] (middle) broadcasting from Budapest, Hungary in 2016]]
For a worldwide audience, the [[BBC World Service]] provides news, current affairs and information in 28 languages, including English, around the world and is available in over 150 capital cities. It is broadcast worldwide on [[shortwave]] radio, DAB and online and has an estimated weekly audience of 192&nbsp;million, and its websites have an audience of 38&nbsp;million people per week.<ref>{{cite news |title=192 Million BBC World Service Listeners |url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01b4npp |access-date=25 October 2015 |publisher=BBC World Service |date=25 October 2015 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130801210747/http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01b4npp |archive-date=1 August 2013 |url-status=live }}</ref> Since 2005, it is also available on DAB in the UK, a step not taken before, due to the way it is funded. The service is funded by a Parliamentary Grant-in-Aid, administered by the Foreign Office; however, following the Government's spending review in 2011, this funding will cease, and it will be funded for the first time through the Licence fee.<ref name="BBC World Service Annual Review 2010">{{cite web|title=BBC World Service Annual Review 2009–2010 |url= http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/pdf/bbc_world_service_annual_review_0910.pdf |website=Annual Review |publisher=BBC World Service |access-date=12 July 2011 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120119094716/http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/pdf/bbc_world_service_annual_review_0910.pdf|archive-date=19 January 2012 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="World Service Finance details">{{cite web |title=How BBC World Service is run |url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/institutional/2009/03/000000_ws_run.shtml |publisher=BBC |access-date=12 July 2011 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110930233941/http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/institutional/2009/03/000000_ws_run.shtml |archive-date=30 September 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref> In recent years, some services of the World Service have been reduced: the [[Thai language|Thai]] service ended in 2006,<ref>{{cite news |title=BBC Thai service ends broadcasts |url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4609860.stm | first=Clare | last=Harkey | date = 13 March 2006 | access-date =8 November 2008 |work=BBC News | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20081218021705/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4609860.stm| archive-date= 18 December 2008 | url-status=live}}</ref> as did the Eastern European languages. Resources were diverted instead into the new [[BBC Arabic Television]].<ref>{{cite news |title=BBC Arabic TV appoints former Al Jazeera employee as news editor |url= http://www.metimes.com/articles/normal.php?StoryID=20060315-071402-4650r |work=[[Middle East Times]] |location= Sydney |date=15 March 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20061030015704/http://www.metimes.com/storyview.php?StoryID=20060315-071402-4650r |archive-date=30 October 2006 |access-date=6 July 2006}}</ref>

Historically, the BBC was the only legal radio broadcaster based in the UK mainland until 1967, when [[URY|University Radio York (URY)]], then under the name ''Radio York'', was launched as the first, and now oldest, legal independent radio station in the country. However, the BBC did not enjoy a complete monopoly before this, as several Continental stations, such as [[Radio Luxembourg (English)|Radio Luxembourg]], had broadcast programmes in English to Britain since the 1930s and the Isle of Man-based [[Manx Radio]] began in 1964. Today, despite the advent of [[commercial radio]], BBC radio stations remain among the most listened-to in the country. Radio 2 has the largest audience share (up to 16.8% in 2011–12) and Radios 1 and 4 ranked second and third in terms of weekly [[Reach (advertising)|reach]].<ref>{{cite web |first=Stuart |last=Corke |url=http://mediatel.co.uk/radio/news/2012/10/25/rajar-q3-2012-national-stations/ |title=MediaTel information for all BBC and commercial radio stations |publisher=Mediatel.co.uk |date=25 October 2012 |access-date=1 January 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121221125554/http://mediatel.co.uk/radio/news/2012/10/25/rajar-q3-2012-national-stations/ |archive-date=21 December 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref>

BBC programming is also available to other services and in other countries. Since 1943, the BBC has provided radio programming to the [[British Forces Broadcasting Service]], which broadcasts in countries where British troops are stationed. BBC Radio 1 is also carried in Canada on [[Sirius XM Radio]] (online streaming only).

The BBC is a patron of The [[Radio Academy]].<ref>The Radio Academy [http://www.radioacademy.org/about/patrons/ "Patrons"]  {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100107234239/http://www.radioacademy.org/about/patrons/ |date=7 January 2010 }}</ref>

===News===
{{Main|BBC News}}
[[File:BBC Broadcasting House newsroom and studio 2013.jpg|thumb|right|The new newsroom in Broadcasting House, central London, officially opened by [[Elizabeth II|the Queen]] in 2013]]

BBC News is the largest broadcast news gathering operation in the world,<ref name="About BBC News Website">{{cite news|title=This is BBC News|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/aboutbbcnews/hi/this_is_bbc_news/default.stm|work=About BBC News|publisher=BBC|access-date=12 July 2011|date=13 September 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110728131932/http://news.bbc.co.uk/aboutbbcnews/hi/this_is_bbc_news/default.stm|archive-date=28 July 2011|url-status=live}}</ref> providing services to BBC domestic radio as well as television networks such as the [[BBC News (TV channel)|BBC News]], BBC Parliament and [[BBC World News]]. In addition to this, news stories are available on the BBC Red Button service and [[BBC News Online]]. In addition to this, the BBC has been developing new ways to access BBC News and as a result, has launched the service on BBC Mobile, making it accessible to mobile phones and PDAs, as well as developing alerts by email, on digital television, and on computers through a [[BBC Alerts|desktop alert]].

Ratings figures suggest that during major incidents such as the [[7 July 2005 London bombings]] or royal events, the UK audience overwhelmingly turns to the BBC's coverage as opposed to its commercial rivals.<ref>{{cite news |last=Cozens |first=Claire |title=BBC news ratings double |newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|location=UK |date=8 July 2005 |url=http://media.guardian.co.uk/overnights/story/0,,1524235,00.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120710061137/http://media.guardian.co.uk/overnights/story/0,,1524235,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=10 July 2012 |access-date=25 December 2006 }}</ref>
On 7 July 2005, the day that there were a series of coordinated bomb blasts on London's public transport system, the BBC Online website recorded an all time [[bandwidth (computing)|bandwidth]] peak of 11&nbsp;[[gigabit|Gb]]/s at 12.00 on 7 July. BBC News received some 1&nbsp;billion total hits on the day of the event (including all images, text, and [[HTML]]), serving some 5.5 [[terabyte]]s of data. At peak times during the day, there were 40,000-page requests per second for the BBC News website. The previous day's announcement of the [[2012 Olympics]] being awarded to London caused a peak of around 5&nbsp;Gbit/s. The previous all-time high at BBC Online was caused by the announcement of the [[Michael Jackson]] verdict, which used 7.2&nbsp;Gbit/s.<ref>{{cite web|title=Statistics on BBC Webservers 7&nbsp;July 2005 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/feedback/07July_Statistics.shtml |author=BBC |access-date=13 November 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061012141440/http://www.bbc.co.uk/feedback/07July_Statistics.shtml |archive-date=12 October 2006 |url-status=live  }}</ref>

===Internet===
{{Main|BBC Online}}

The BBC's online presence includes a comprehensive [[BBC News Online|news website]] and archive. The BBC's first official online service was the BBC Networking Club, which was launched on 11 May 1994. The service was subsequently relaunched as BBC Online in 1997, before being renamed BBCi, then bbc.co.uk, before it was rebranded back as BBC Online. The website is funded by the Licence fee, but uses [[Geo targeting|GeoIP]] technology, allowing advertisements to be carried on the site when viewed outside of the UK.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6385175.stm |title=BBC keeps web adverts on agenda |work=BBC News |date=22 February 2007 |access-date=15 November 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090115111900/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6385175.stm |archive-date=15 January 2009 |url-status=live }}</ref> The BBC claims the site to be "Europe's most popular content-based site"<ref>{{cite web | title = bbc.co.uk Commissioning | url = http://www.bbc.co.uk/commissioning/newmedia/websites.shtml | access-date =6 July 2006| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20060706020809/http://www.bbc.co.uk/commissioning/newmedia/websites.shtml| archive-date= 6 July 2006 | url-status=live}}</ref> and states that 13.2&nbsp;million people in the UK visit the site's more than two million pages each day.<ref>{{cite web | title = bbc.co.uk Key Facts | url = http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/keyfacts/stories/website.shtml | access-date =6 July 2006| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20060524233844/http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/keyfacts/stories/website.shtml| archive-date= 24 May 2006 | url-status=live}}</ref>

The centre of the website is the Homepage, which features a modular layout. Users can choose which modules, and which information, is displayed on their homepage, allowing the user to customise it. This system was first launched in December 2007, becoming permanent in February 2008, and has undergone a few aesthetical changes since then.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/bbcinternet/2007/12/a_lick_of_paint_for_the_bbc_ho.html|title=A lick of paint for the BBC homepage|first=Richard|last=Titus|publisher=BBC Internet Blog|date=13 December 2007|access-date=5 February 2008| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080205231721/http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/bbcinternet/2007/12/a_lick_of_paint_for_the_bbc_ho.html| archive-date= 5 February 2008 | url-status=live}}</ref> The home page then has links to other micro-sites, such as [[BBC News Online]], [[BBC Sport|Sport]], [[BBC Weather|Weather]], TV, and Radio. As part of the site, every programme on BBC Television or Radio is given its own page, with bigger programmes getting their own micro-site, and as a result it is often common for viewers and listeners to be told [[Uniform Resource Locator|website addresses]] (URLs) for the programme website.

[[File:BBC iPlayer advertisement on Old Street roundabout.jpg|thumb|2008 advertisement for [[BBC iPlayer]] at Old Street, London]]
Another large part of the site also allows users to watch and listen to most Television and Radio output live and for seven days after broadcast using the [[BBC iPlayer]] platform, which launched on 27 July 2007, and initially used [[peer-to-peer]] and [[Digital rights management|DRM]] technology to deliver both radio and TV content of the last seven days for offline use for up to 30&nbsp;days, since then video is now streamed directly. Also, through participation in the [[Creative Archive Licence]] group, bbc.co.uk allowed legal downloads of selected archive material via the internet.<ref>{{cite press release |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2006/01_january/03/archive.shtml |title=BBC News opens its archives for the first time |publisher=BBC Press Office |date=3 January 2006 |access-date=3 October 2006 |archive-date=22 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231022204850/https://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2006/1_january/03/archive.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref>

The BBC has often included learning as part of its online service, running services such as [[BBC Jam]], [[BBC Learning Zone|Learning Zone Class Clips]] and also runs services such as [[BBC WebWise]] and First Click which are designed to teach people how to use the internet. [[BBC Jam]] was a free online service, delivered through broadband and narrowband connections, providing high-quality interactive resources designed to stimulate learning at home and at school. Initial content was made available in January 2006; however, BBC Jam was suspended on 20 March 2007 due to allegations made to the [[European Commission]] that it was damaging the interests of the commercial sector of the industry.<ref>{{cite press release |url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/bbctrust/news/press_releases/14_03_2007.html |title=BBC Trust suspends BBC Jam |publisher=[[BBC Trust]] |date=14 March 2007 |access-date=5 February 2008 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080126171441/http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbctrust/news/press_releases/14_03_2007.html |archive-date=26 January 2008 |url-status=live  }}</ref>

In recent years, some major on-line companies and politicians have complained that BBC Online receives too much funding from the television licence, meaning that other websites are unable to compete with the vast amount of advertising-free on-line content available on BBC Online.<ref>{{cite web | title = Department of Culture, Media and Sport: Independent Review of BBC Online, pp41-58 | url = http://www.culture.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/45F9953F-CE61-4325-BEA6-400DF9722494/0/BBCOnlinereview.pdf | last = Graf | first = Philip | access-date =6 July 2006| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20060723051550/http://www.culture.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/45F9953F-CE61-4325-BEA6-400DF9722494/0/BBCOnlinereview.pdf| archive-date= 23 July 2006 | url-status=live}}</ref> Some have proposed that the amount of licence fee money spent on BBC Online should be reduced—either being replaced with funding from advertisements or subscriptions, or a reduction in the amount of content available on the site.<ref>{{cite web|author=British Internet Publishers Alliance |title=BIPA Response to Review of the BBC's Royal Charter |url=http://www.bipa.co.uk/getArticle.php?ID=325 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20060827040457/http://www.bipa.co.uk/getArticle.php?ID=325 |url-status=dead |archive-date=27 August 2006 |date=31 May 2005 |access-date=6 July 2006 }}</ref> In response to this the BBC carried out an investigation, and has now set in motion a plan to change the way it provides its online services. BBC Online will now attempt to fill in gaps in the market, and will guide users to other websites for currently existing market provision. (For example, instead of providing local events information and timetables, users will be guided to outside websites already providing that information.)
Part of this plan included the BBC closing some of its websites, and rediverting money to redevelop other parts.<ref>{{cite news | title = Public value key to BBC websites |work=BBC News  | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/tv_and_radio/3992875.stm | date = 8 November 2004 | access-date =6 July 2006| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20060616150109/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/tv_and_radio/3992875.stm| archive-date= 16 June 2006 | url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.independent.co.uk/media/article1219009.ece |title=99 per cent of the BBC archives is on the shelves. We ought to liberate it |newspaper=[[The Independent]]|location=London |date=14 August 2006 |first=Ian |last=Burrell |access-date=26 April 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080706020214/http://news.independent.co.uk/media/article1219009.ece |archive-date=6 July 2008 }}</ref>

On 26 February 2010, ''[[The Times]]'' claimed that [[Mark Thompson (television executive)|Mark Thompson]], Director General of the BBC, proposed that the BBC's web output should be cut by 50%, with online staff numbers and budgets reduced by 25% in a bid to scale back BBC operations and allow commercial rivals more room.<ref>{{cite news |url= http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/media/article7041944.ece |title=BBC signals an end to era of expansion |work=The Times |location= London |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100423170054/http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/media/article7041944.ece  |archive-date=23 April 2010 |date=26 February 2010 |first=Patrick |last=Foster |access-date=26 February 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref> On 2 March 2010, the BBC reported that it would cut its website spending by 25% and close BBC 6 Music and Asian Network, as part of Mark Thompson's plans to make "a smaller, fitter BBC for the digital age".<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/03/business/media/03bbc.html |title=BBC Proposes Deep Cuts in Web Site |work=The New York Times |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170423145954/http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/03/business/media/03bbc.html |archive-date=23 April 2017 |date=3 March 2010 |access-date=2 March 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/8544150.stm |title=BBC 6 Music and Asian Network face axe in shake-up |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100303053354/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/8544150.stm |archive-date=3 March 2010 |date=2 March 2010 |access-date=2 March 2010 |work=BBC News}}</ref>

===Interactive television===
{{Main|BBC Red Button}}

BBC Red Button is the brand name for the BBC's [[interactive television]] services, which are available through [[Freeview (UK)|Freeview]] (digital terrestrial), as well as [[Freesat]], [[Sky (UK & Ireland)|Sky]] (satellite), and [[Virgin Media]] (cable). Unlike Ceefax, the service's analogue counterpart, BBC Red Button is able to display full-colour graphics, photographs, and video, as well as programmes and can be accessed from any BBC channel. The service carries News, Weather and Sport 24 hours a day, but also provides extra features related to programmes specific at that time. Examples include viewers to play along at home to gameshows, to give, voice and vote on opinions to issues, as used alongside programmes such as ''[[Question Time (TV series)|Question Time]]''. At some points in the year, when multiple sporting events occur, some coverage of less mainstream sports or games are frequently placed on the Red Button for viewers to watch. Frequently, other features are added unrelated to programmes being broadcast at that time, such as the broadcast of the ''[[Doctor Who]]'' animated episode ''[[Dreamland (Doctor Who)|Dreamland]]'' in November 2009.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2009/08_august/21/dreamland.shtml |title=Press Office – First look at new animated Doctor Who |publisher=BBC |access-date=20 November 2021 |archive-date=20 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211120184005/https://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2009/8_august/21/dreamland.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Music===
[[File:BBC Big Band - Town Hall Birmingham - May 2012.jpg|thumb|The [[BBC Big Band]] ]]
The BBC employs 5 staff orchestras, a professional choir, and supports two amateur choruses, based in BBC venues across the UK;<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/orchestras|title=BBC Orchestras and Choirs|website=BBC Music Events|language=en|access-date=2 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191014201823/https://www.bbc.co.uk/orchestras|archive-date=14 October 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> the [[BBC Symphony Orchestra]], the [[BBC Singers]] and [[BBC Symphony Chorus]] based in London, the [[BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra]] in Glasgow, the [[BBC Philharmonic]] in Salford, the [[BBC Concert Orchestra]] based in Watford, and the [[BBC National Orchestra of Wales]] and [[BBC National Chorus of Wales]] in Cardiff. It also buys a selected number of broadcasts from the [[Ulster Orchestra]] in Belfast and the [[BBC Big Band]].

The [[The Proms|BBC Proms]] have been produced by the BBC every year since 1927,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/1sgMxZvFzHQG3Y1HktMfg6w/history-of-the-proms|title=BBC Radio 3 – BBC Proms – History of the Proms|website=BBC|language=en-GB|access-date=2 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190414071428/https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/1sgMxZvFzHQG3Y1HktMfg6w/history-of-the-proms|archive-date=14 April 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> stepping in to fund the popular classical music festival when music publishers Chappell and Co withdrew their support. In 1930, the newly formed BBC Symphony Orchestra gave all 49 Proms, and have performed at every Last Night of the Proms since then. Nowadays, the BBC's orchestras and choirs are the backbone of the Proms,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/mediapacks/proms-2017/artists/bbc-orchestras-choirs|title=BBC – BBC orchestras and choirs – Media Centre|website=www.bbc.co.uk|access-date=2 October 2019|archive-date=23 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201223174715/https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/mediapacks/proms-2017/artists/bbc-orchestras-choirs|url-status=live}}</ref> giving around 40%–50% of all performances each season.

Many famous musicians of every genre have played at the BBC, such as [[The Beatles]] (''[[Live at the BBC (Beatles album)|Live at the BBC]]'' is one of their many albums). The BBC is also responsible for the broadcast of [[Glastonbury Festival]], [[Reading Festival]] and [[United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest|United Kingdom]] coverage of the [[Eurovision Song Contest]], a show with which the broadcaster has been associated for over 60 years.<ref>{{cite news |title=BBC One Celebrates 60 Years of the Eurovision Song Contest with special anniversary event |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/latestnews/2015/eurovision-60 |access-date=1 January 2022 |agency=BBC |archive-date=1 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220101025310/https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/latestnews/2015/eurovision-60 |url-status=live }}</ref> The BBC also operates the division of BBC Audiobooks sometimes found in association with Chivers Audiobooks.

===Other===
The BBC operates other ventures in addition to their broadcasting arm. In addition to broadcasting output on television and radio, some programmes are also displayed on the [[BBC Big Screen]]s located in several central-city locations. The BBC and the [[Foreign and Commonwealth Office]] also jointly run [[BBC Monitoring]], which monitors radio, television, the press and the internet worldwide. The BBC also developed several computers throughout the 1980s, most notably the [[BBC Micro]], which ran alongside the corporation's educational aims and programming.

In 1951, in conjunction with [[Oxford University Press]] the BBC published ''The BBC Hymn Book'' which was intended to be used by radio listeners to follow hymns being broadcast. The book was published both with and without music, the music edition being entitled ''The BBC Hymn Book with Music''.<ref>British Broadcasting Corporation (1969) ''The BBC Hymn Book with Music''  London: Oxford University Press</ref> The book contained 542 popular hymns.

===Ceefax===
{{Main|Ceefax}}

The BBC provided the world's first teletext service called Ceefax (near-homophonous with "See Facts") from 23&nbsp;September 1974 until 23&nbsp;October 2012 on the BBC1 analogue channel, then later on BBC2. It showed informational pages, such as News, Sport, and the Weather. From New Year's Eve, 1974, ITV's [[ORACLE (teletext)|Oracle]] tried to compete with Ceefax. Oracle closed on New Year's Eve, 1992. During its lifetime, Ceefax attracted millions of viewers, right up until 2012, prior to the [[UK digital transition|digital switchover in the United Kingdom]]. Since then, the BBC's [[BBC Red Button|Red Button Service]] has provided a digital information system that replaced Ceefax.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Griffin|first=Andrew|date=30 September 2020|title=BBC red button: Corporation U-turns on plans to cut services|work=Independent|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/bbc-red-button-service-closing-date-update-b714031.html|url-status=live|access-date=21 October 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201016010206/https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/bbc-red-button-service-closing-date-update-b714031.html|archive-date=16 October 2020}}</ref>

===BritBox===
{{Main|BritBox}}

In 2016 the BBC, in partnership with fellow UK broadcasters ITV and Channel 4 (who later withdrew from the project), set up 'project kangaroo' to develop an international online streaming service to rival services such as Netflix and Hulu.<ref name="Variety">{{cite news |url= https://variety.com/2017/tv/news/britbox-eastenders-streaming-prime-suspect-1202002791/ |title=Britbox, a streaming service for British TV from the BBC and ITV, launches in the US |website=The Verge |access-date=12 December 2017 |date=7 March 2017 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20171228054022/https://variety.com/2017/tv/news/britbox-eastenders-streaming-prime-suspect-1202002791/ |archive-date=28 December 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.msn.com/en-gb/entertainment/tv/bbc-set-to-launch-britflix-rival-to-netflix-after-john-whittingdale-approves-subscription-streaming/ar-BBt5imj?ocid=spartandhp |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160609191342/http://www.msn.com/en-gb/entertainment/tv/bbc-set-to-launch-britflix-rival-to-netflix-after-john-whittingdale-approves-subscription-streaming/ar-BBt5imj?ocid=spartandhp |url-status=dead |archive-date=9 June 2016 |title=BBC set to launch Britflix rival to Netflix after John Whittingdale approves subscription streaming |website=www.msn.com |access-date=17 May 2016}}</ref> During the development stages 'Britflix' was touted as a potential name. However, the service eventually launched as [[BritBox]] in March 2017. The online platform shows a catalogue of classic BBC and ITV shows, as well as making a number of programmes available shortly after their UK broadcast. {{as of|2021}}, BritBox is available in the UK, the US, Canada, Australia, and, more recently, South Africa, with the potential availability for new markets in the future.<ref name="Variety"/><ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.theguardian.com/media/shortcuts/2016/may/16/britflix-bbc-streaming-downton-abbey-john-whittingdale-netflix |title='Britflix' and chill – doesn't have the quite same ring to it |date=16 May 2016 |website=The Guardian |location= London |access-date=7 June 2016 |archive-url=
https://web.archive.org/web/20160521081340/http://www.theguardian.com/media/shortcuts/2016/may/16/britflix-bbc-streaming-downton-abbey-john-whittingdale-netflix |archive-date=21 May 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-47383559 |work=BBC News |title=BBC and ITV set to launch Netflix rival |date=27 February 2019 |access-date=21 October 2019 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190726045631/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-47383559 |archive-date=26 July 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=23 November 2020 |title=Britbox launches in Australia |url=https://www.broadbandtvnews.com/2020/11/23/britbox-launches-in-australia/ |access-date=23 November 2020 |website=Broadband TV News |archive-date=23 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201123121204/https://www.broadbandtvnews.com/2020/11/23/britbox-launches-in-australia/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=BritBox launched in South Africa at R100/month |work=TechCentral |url=https://techcentral.co.za/britbox-launched-in-south-africa-pricing-details/109549/ |access-date=27 July 2021 |date=27 July 2021 |archive-date=27 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210727154452/https://techcentral.co.za/britbox-launched-in-south-africa-pricing-details/109549/ |url-status=live }}</ref>