The BBC News channel has been made available through YouTube for viewers in the United Kingdom and United States. It is a described as a trial and is part of a wider strategy to reach new and younger audiences where they are. Whether they will want to watch the BBC News channel there is another matter.
The BBC News Channel is already available on YouTube in a number of other countries, including Australia, Kenya, Nigeria, and Poland.
“Audiences increasingly expect news to be available wherever they are, on the platforms they use throughout their day,” said Anjali Kapoor, the director of AI, innovation and growth for BBC News.
“Launching the BBC News channel on YouTube in the UK and US is an important step in bringing our trusted journalism to even more people. It will make it easier for audiences to access live coverage of the stories shaping our world, while helping us reach new audiences in the places and at the times that work best for them.”
Alison Lomax, the managing director of YouTube UK, said: “It is an incredible milestone that YouTube’s audiences in the UK, US, Australia, Kenya, Nigeria and Poland can now access BBC’s live news channel, making trusted news even more accessible to a new generation of digital first viewers”.
Earlier this year, the BBC announced a landmark deal with YouTube, which will see the corporation make programming specifically for the online platform.
Matt Brittin, the new director general of the BBC, was previously president of Google for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. He recently said: “BBC content should be on Netflix, on YouTube, on TikTok, on Spotify and Instagram, and everywhere where audiences are.”
The communications regulator Ofcom reported that in 2025 those aged 16-34 watched live television for an average of just over 15 minutes a day, and a total of broadcaster output including recordings and video-on-demand of just over 43 minutes a day, compared to nearly 74 minutes a day of online video sharing platforms like YouTube.
One of the benefits of online delivery is that it is possible to measure usage accurately. The BBC News page on YouTube shows it has over 20 million subscribers. However, the number watching The BBC News Channel live whenever we checked was in the low hundreds.
Interestingly, viewers watching the News Channel live in the United Kingdom requires a television licence, a funding model that the new director general has described as “a busted flush” and “no longer fit for purpose”.
A government white paper on the is expected to be published before Christmas, which will set out how the corporation will be governed, regulated and funded from 2028 onwards.