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
1 result
Clear
4 Recommendation Rejected
72nd Report - BBC World Service
The BBC’s ability to carry out long-term planning of the World Service is hampered by...
The BBC’s ability to carry out long-term planning of the World Service is hampered by repeated short-term funding agreements from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). Since 2021–22, the FCDO has provided around 30% of funding for the BBC … Read more
Government Response
The government disagrees and states that it would be premature to commit to a specific long-term funding model ahead of the Charter Review, but the FCDO has confirmed grant-in-aid funding of £148 million per year for 2026–27 to 2028–29.
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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