BBC World Service 2024-25

Public Accounts Committee Open Inquiry
Opened: 30 Jul 2025 Parliament page
Globally, the BBC World Service, which aims to reflect the UK, its culture and values to the world, had a weekly audience of 320m in 2023-24. Since 2022, the BBC has reduced expenditure on the BBC World Service, in part driven by falling licence fee income, with savings plans announced … Read more
5 Recommendations
22 Conclusions
1 Report
1 Oral session
1 Letter
1 Event
Activity timeline 4 events
13 Mar
2026
Report published
26 Jan
2026
Correspondence
8 Jan
2026
Oral evidence
8 Jan
2026
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · The Grimond Room, Portcullis House
Oral evidence sessions 1 session
8 Jan 2026
View on parliament.uk
Fiona Crack · BBC World Service Jonathan Munro · BBC Tim Davie CBE · BBC
Title HC No. Published Items Response
72nd Report - BBC World Service HC 1299 13 Mar 2026 27 Overdue
Recommendations & Conclusions
4 results
Clear
2 Recommendation Accepted
72nd Report - BBC World Service
The BBC struggles to articulate how the World Service provides value for money to UK...
The BBC struggles to articulate how the World Service provides value for money to UK taxpayers and why it should therefore continue receiving government funding. The Committee recognises the World Service’s importance amid volatile geopolitics and the rapid growth of … Read more
Government Response
The BBC agrees and will report back to the Committee within six months on measures it can use to quantify the value for money of the World Service, both overall and at language-service level.
HM Treasury
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3 Recommendation Accepted
72nd Report - BBC World Service
Weaknesses in the BBC’s approach to the World Service’s digital transformation have meant it has...
Weaknesses in the BBC’s approach to the World Service’s digital transformation have meant it has struggled to migrate its audiences from traditional TV and radio services to digital platforms. Over the period 2021–22 to 2024–25, the World Service’s digital audiences … Read more
Government Response
The BBC has developed a three-year plan articulating strategic goals around digital transformation and migration of audiences from traditional TV and radio audiences to digital platforms. More comprehensive market reviews are being carried out to ensure digital maturity and readiness, ensuring that in markets of greatest need, digital transformation does not come at the cost of being able to reach key audiences.
HM Treasury
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5 Recommendation Accepted
72nd Report - BBC World Service
The BBC World Service’s poor documentation means that the BBC cannot explain why it made...
The BBC World Service’s poor documentation means that the BBC cannot explain why it made key decisions and has hindered their ability to learn lessons going forwards. From 2021–22, the BBC has implemented three savings plans for the World Service … Read more
Government Response
The BBC will improve documentation of decision-making processes around World Service savings programs, establish clearer criteria, document decisions better, redesign decision-making forums, and redesign business cases to include options analysis and alignment with strategic criteria.
HM Treasury
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6 Recommendation Accepted
72nd Report - BBC World Service
The BBC’s lack of adequate monitoring of the World Service meant it was unable to...
The BBC’s lack of adequate monitoring of the World Service meant it was unable to assess its performance when implementing savings programmes. The BBC’s monitoring of its World Service savings programmes to date has focused primarily on financial metrics – … Read more
Government Response
The BBC will set, monitor, and report financial and non-financial metrics across input, output, and outcome areas, trialling them for business management and accountability, and will develop metrics to assess non-financial benefits of the regional governance structure.
HM Treasury
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Government Response AI assessment · 6 of 5 classified
Accepted 4
Acknowledged 1
Rejected 1
Total 5 recs + 22 conclusions
Correspondence 1 letter
26 Jan 2026 To committee Letter from the Global Director of BBC News relating to the Committee’s evidence session on 08 January 2026 on BBC World Service 2024–25, 21 January 2026
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