The BBC is extending the pay wall to include the BBC App in the United States. It follows the introduction of a subscription offering for $8.99 a month or $49.99 a year on the BBC.com web site in June 2025. The change does not affect users in the United Kingdom or other countries outside the United States.
The BBC app in the United States will offer unlimited access to BBC news coverage and the BBC News channel. The subscription offering already includes access to over 1600 hours of documentaries without advertising. Additional premium material is planned for the coming months, including early-release podcasts and exclusive newsletters.
Users in the United States who choose not to pay will still have access to some global breaking news stories, BBC Radio 4 and BBC World Service radio livestreams, BBC World Service Languages sites, and a variety of free newsletters and podcasts.
People travelling to the United States for holiday or work will be able to access the BBC News app as normal, so long as they have downloaded the latest version from the United Kingdom app store before leaving.
There will be no change to the services that people in the UK will receive and have access to. All the material that is available on BBC.com is also available to users in the United Kingdom through various BBC channels and services.
The BBC is under pressure to generate additional commercial revenue. The challenge is that the global reputation of the BBC is also dependent on people being able to access it from around the world.
It comes at a time of increasing need for objective news coverage in the United States. It also follows the resignation of the BBC Director General and the Chief Executive of BBC News over a controversial Panorama programme that has led to a $10 billion legal claim from President Trump.
BBC Studios is the main commercial arm of the BBC. Last year it generated a statutory operating profit of £82 million on revenues of £2.1 billion, compared to an operating loss of £56 million the previous year. Total BBC income was £5.9 billion, of which £3.8 billion came from television licence fees, with a total deficit of £112 million for the year.
BBC.com has averaged 60 million monthly users in the United States and around 140 million globally.
Despite its popular brand, the BBC has struggled to generate substantial subscription revenues. The online video service BritBox International, now wholly owned by the BBC, had around 4 million subscribers globally at the start of 2025, many of which will be in North America. It first launched in the United States in 2017, originally as a joint venture with ITV.
Last year, CNN introduced an “All Access” subscription tier at $6.99 a month or $69.99 a year that includes the live channel, video on demand, original documentaries, and full access to all articles on cnn.com.