BBC America to Broadcast Royal Wedding Live (Exclusive)

LONDON — Viewers around the world will be able to watch BBC1’s own coverage of the Royal Wedding, the pubcaster said Wednesday, announcing that the flagship channel’s own feed will be carried by  BBC America and its global network BBC Entertainment.

The deal will mean that millions of viewers around the world will have “an authentic British take” on the day-log coverage around the nuptials, the pubcaster said.

BBC America will broadcast wedding coverage in the US and BBC Entertainment will broadcast in Asia, India, Latin America, Europe and the Middle East.

Anchored by Huw Edwards, one of the BBC’s most senior news presenters, BBC1’s Royal Wedding coverage will have exclusive access to vantage points along the route of the wedding, as well as a host of British experts, analysts and commentators on April 29th.

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In recent years Edwards has been the BBC’s anchor for major state occasions such as 2004’s D-Day 60th anniversary, the Pope’s visit, Trooping the Colour, the State Opening of Parliament, Festival of Remembrance and the opening and closing ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics and Commonwealth Games.

But the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton is likely to be bigger still, predicted to garner the biggest audience in television history with up to 2.5 billion viewers on the day.

BBC Worldwide Channels will also be broadcasting a host of royal documentaries on BBC Knowledge in the lead up to the wedding.

Programming is likely to include a retrospective of royal weddings throughout the decades, a look into the historic House of Windsor, the story of Prince William and Catherine Middleton’s relationship from their initial meeting at St. Andrews University to the present day, and a documentary that takes a closer look at Prince Charles’ work and the causes he has worked to support.

“The Royal Wedding provides a special opportunity to bring together our local channels around the world for a truly global viewing event,” said Jana Bennett, president Worldwide Networks and Global iPlayer.

“I am proud that for the first time, millions of BBC Entertainment and BBC Knowledge viewers in Africa, Asia, India, Latin America, the Middle East and Europe can join together to watch the day unfold, ” she added.