[Chud]

I think the entire news channel will go altogether by the end of the decade.

Interesting thought. If this did happen I wonder what would happen for rolling news of a major event. Would that mean the national presenters cover it on BBC One? Will be a big change if that did happen. Hope it doesn’t.

[harryb]

Interesting thought. If this did happen I wonder what would happen for rolling news of a major event. Would that mean the national presenters cover it on BBC One? Will be a big change if that did happen. Hope it doesn’t.

I would assume it would be done in the same context that ITV do it. The BBC have a strong iPlayer brand that can show live channels and live streams at a touch of a button. Most smart telly’s support iPlayer and will be able to stream to tv any of the live streams. 
ITV1 break away from programming for major events just as BBC One would.

[DTV]

Does anyone know how well does BBC News Channel do in the ratings? Is it really needed anymore?

We are not living in 1997, pre millennium world anymore, very few of us watch news channels anymore - maybe BBC World News being the sole news channel and end the BBC News Channel would help.

ITV News closed down their news channel, and it didn't really harm them.

As it happens, there's an easily accessible website where you can find out this info. The BBC News channel is typically between the tenth and twelfth most-watched channel in the UK and is watched by 1 in 6 TV viewers at least once a month, with around 2 million watching each day. If it was wholly redundant, I'm pretty sure that the BBC would ditch it considering their need to make significant cuts.

The comparison to the pre-millennium world is very odd considering both BBC News and BBC World's viewership is significantly higher today than it was back then. They also only have one news channel now, so, unless this comment is on a two-year delay, I'm not really sure of the relevance.

ITV closed the ITV News channel because next to nobody watched it and it made no commercial return meaning that, of course, closing it down didn't do them any harm.

[VMPhil]

I feel sometimes people forget that the ITV News Channel was run on less than a shoe-string budget. We all loved it because of that, of course, but a popular/successful news channel it did not make. Especially when they changed the brand from ITN to ITV News and tried to make it seem a bigger operation than it was.

[Rex]

I feel sometimes people forget that the ITV News Channel was run on less than a shoe-string budget. We all loved it because of that, of course, but a popular/successful news channel it did not make. Especially when they changed the brand from ITN to ITV News and tried to make it seem a bigger operation than it was.

For its small budget I felt that it tried to make the best of its limitations, it was a loss making service that didn't convince ITV that it was going to be viable enough in the long term. 

The writing was clearly on the wall when they cut the hours to try and fit ITV4 onto its Freeview space hours before it launched.

[Brekkie]

Yes - it was a much better service than the budget, something that can't necessarily be said about the current BBC News. If it hadn't been for Freeview capacity issues who knows if it might have lasted - ITV found space for ITV Play a year or so later which ultimately probably cost ITV much more.

[JamesWorldNews]

I might be alone. But I’m pleased to hear that “The World Today” brand is being revived. Synonymous with BBC World (News) across decades, in one form or another.

“The Daily Global” (as with the other two strands in use today) feel like shoehorned names because nobody could come up with better ones, for what essentially are standard BBC News bulletins.

I hope The World Today gets at least new titles, music and backdrop.

[Spencer]

I hope The World Today gets at least new titles, music and backdrop.

I can’t wait for some more crudely animated red circles.

[DTV]

I might be alone. But I’m pleased to hear that “The World Today” brand is being revived. Synonymous with BBC World (News) across decades, in one form or another.

I hope The World Today gets at least new titles, music and backdrop.

I just hope, though do not expect, we'll get a decently formatted programme that isn't painfully slow and overly interview based. Something along the lines of World News Today would be greatly appreciated.

[Rolling News]

What's this about The World Today returning? Is it Sally Bundock's new show?