The prospect of well-known BBC journalists such as Kate Adie and John Simpson appearing in bulletins on a multitude of commercial television channels from Chad to China is about to become a reality. The BBC will tomorrow announce that it will sell its news packages to other broadcasters through a new website which aims to be a portal for the media industry.
TVnewsweb.com, the London-based Internet company behind the site, claims its new service will revolutionise the way news footage is distributed around the globe, giving editors greater choice and viewers better pictures.
From tomorrow, news editors will be able to click on the site, view footage, and order it instantaneously. Initial distribution will be via satellite, but will eventually be done via the Internet.
The BBC will sell complete news packages through TVnewsweb, which works on a commission basis. In a move designed to protect its brand, the BBC will not allow its packages to be sold to what it deems are rival broadcasters, or to be heavily edited.
'The service will help to extend our brand into new markets,' said BBC News's Richard Sambrook.
