The BBC has announced that it will be launching five new free HD channels by early 2014, extending its existing HD offerings.
By the opening months of 2014, the BBC will add 250 hours of HD content to its current offerings with its five new HD channels.
Launching BBC News HD, BBC Three HD, BBC Four HD, CBeebies HD and CBBC HD by early next year, the new channels will complement the current BBC One HD and BBC Two HD channels.
“BBC One HD and BBC Two HD have already proved to be highly valued by our audiences and I’m delighted that we’re able to follow this with the launch of five new subscription-free BBC HD channels by early 2014,” said Tony Hall, BBC Director-General. “These new channels will allow us to showcase more of our programming at its very best.”
The majority of the programmes shown on these new HD channels will also be available to watch in high definition on BBC iPlayer as well.
The new BBC HD channels will be available to anyone with a television platform already carrying HD channels, this includes Freesat and Freeview HD.
According tot eh latest data, over 50 per cent of UK homes are already receiving HD channels, with that figure expected to grow to over 20 million or 80 per cent of the British population by 2016.
By 2019, the number of UK homes watching HD channels is predicted to reach 90 per cent, equivalent to 23 million households.
In addition to these five new free BBC HD channels, the broadcaster is looking to launch regional varieties of the BBC One HD channel and a BBC Two HD channel for Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland as part of a proposal it is putting forward to the BBC Trust.
The BBC has already launching BBC One Scotland HD, BBC One Wales HD and BBC One Northern Ireland HD.
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