BBC World Service expansion

The BBC announced on 16th Nov 2016 that its World Service would launch 11 new language services. The expansion was a result of the funding boost announced by the UK government last year.

The new languages would be Afaan Oromo, Amharic, Gujarati, Igbo, Korean, Marathi, Pidgin, Punjabi, Telugu, Tigrinya, and Yoruba, with the first new services expected to launch in 2017.

The expansion was the largest growth spurt since the 1940s, with languages having been cut from the service in recent years.

"This is a historic day for the BBC" said BBC director general Tony Hall. "The BBC World Service is a jewel in the crown - for the BBC and for Britain. "As we move towards our centenary, my vision is of a confident, outward-looking BBC which brings the best of our independent, impartial journalism and world-class entertainment to half a billion people around the world.