BBC World News to Launch Through Comcast's Xfinity TV

8:13 AM PST 12/13/2011 by Philiana Ng

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The new deal is an effort for the organization to broaden its footprint in the U.S.

The BBC has inked a deal to launch the 24-hour international news channel, BBC World News, in major U.S. markets through Comcast's Xfinity TV in an effort to broaden its footprint.

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By year's end, the channel will be available in Philadelphia, Chicago, Boston, Minneapolis, Indianapolis, Portland and across Northern Calfiornia, Michigan and Western parts of New England. BBC World News will continue to launch in additional markets in 2012.

BBC World News is expected to be in nearly 15 million homes in the U.S. by the end of next year.

International news, documentaries, lifestyle programs and in-depth interviews will be featured on the channel, including BBC World News America with anchor Katty Kay.

“This deal represents huge progress for BBC World News in the most competitive television marketplace in the world. We know that U.S. viewers increasingly value the smart and impartial international journalism provided by the BBC," said Peter Horrocks, director of global news at BBC. “The BBC and BBC World News are uniquely positioned to offer this via our multilingual, multimedia journalists based around the world. From the changing markets in Europe and Asia to coverage of the Middle East, we know our audiences highly value this global perspective. We will aim to bring Comcast viewers the best of BBC journalism, providing trusted information and in-depth global analysis.”

Sandy Ashendorf, executive vice president of network distribution at BBC Worldwide America said: “The BBC is renowned for its journalistic integrity and audiences are increasingly hungry for an impartial view on global affairs. We are pleased that XfinityTV is bringing its customers a new and fresh perspective through these BBC World News channel launches. We think this is a significant step towards changing the conversation about news in the U.S.”

BBC earlier this month tapped Dick Meyer as executive producer of BBC's news services in the U.S.