BBC rolls out US paywall
June 26, 2025
BBC Studios and BBC News have launched the first phase of a pay model for visitors to the BBC website in the US. In the initial phase of the launch, for $49.99 (€42.76) per year or $8.99 per month, users who join will get unlimited access to the BBC’s news articles, feature stories and the 24/7 livestream of the BBC News channel.
In the coming months, ad-free documentary series and films (including the full BBC Select documentary catalogue), ad-free and early release podcasts, and exclusive newsletters and content will be added to the offer.
Rebecca Glashow, CEO BBC Studios Global Media & Streaming, commented: “Over three years ago, we set out on a bold mission: to completely reimagine how we deliver the BBC’s world-class news and factual content to consumers in the US. Our goal? To serve our audiences better than ever before—and unlock new opportunities for growth. Today, the next phase of that vision becomes reality. We’re bringing more of the BBC’s trusted, high-quality content together in one powerful, easy-to-access destination. Over the next few months, as we test and learn more about audience needs and habits, additional long-form factual content will be added to the offer for paying users. This is a major milestone and just the beginning of an exciting new chapter.”
Deborah Turness, CEO at BBC News, added: “Through our partnership with BBC Studios we are growing our audiences in North America – providing more people with news they can trust at a time of dramatic global uncertainty.”
BBC.com is employing a dynamic pay model – an intelligent, engagement-based pay model deployed by various news publishers globally. All users visiting the site from within the US will be assessed based on how they interact with content, including how much they read and how long they stay. This approach allows casual readers to explore freely, while offering the BBC’s most engaged users the opportunity to unlock even more. By opting to pay, readers gain unlimited access to all the site’s content.
Visitors who choose not to pay will still have access to select global breaking news stories, BBC Radio 4 and BBC World Service radio livestreams, BBC World Service Languages sites, and a variety of free newsletters and podcasts. The site will remain ad-supported.
The website, which is commercially funded and operates separately from other BBC platforms in the UK, identifies users based on their device’s geolocation. UK Licence Fee payers travelling to the US can access their usual content via the BBC News app, as long as they’ve downloaded the latest versions from the UK app stores before travelling. There will be no change to the services that people in the UK will receive and have access to.
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