[DTV]

The trouble is the feeling is there is too much international news for the domestic audience and too much domestic news for the international audience.  Both services lose out.

Well that was always obviously going to be an issue - editorially a compromise was always going to be difficult, but the fact is, you've basically got a daytime schedule made up of hours with a similar lean to the pre-merger 10:00 hour - which is pretty much half-and-half and closer to an old NC hour than an old WN hour. There have also been far more occasions since the merger where a UK story has been substantially overcovered on the channel than where a major UK news story has been unduly ignored. I understand the perception issues and obviously a pacier format would allow more stories to get covered, but frankly - for a joint channel - UK news gets at least its fair share, arguably more than.

No it isn't-not when it's World heavy channel wise-Whoever thought having one News operation was a good idea because of cost really didn't do the sums or read the room properly.

Cost-wise/sum-wise, one channel is obviously cheaper and, if you want extra money, the best and most realistic option by far is retaining international profitability - which your NC broadcast internationally fantasy would struggle to do. As for reading the room, the UK viewing figures have held up better than expected and there has been no substantive public blowback to the changes - honestly, the reaction against BBC Singers was bigger.