BBC launches commercially funded non-English language website

The BBC has added new opportunities for advertisers with the launch of its first fully commercially funded non-English language website.BBC.jp offers a mixture of business, entertainment and technology stories alongside news, analysis and features from the BBC’s network of journalists in almost 100 countries around the globe. It will comprise Japanese translation of the content from the BBC’s world-class English language global news and feature site BBC.com.The new site will complement the BBC’s existing international commercial news products, such as the 24 hour TV channel - BBC World News, the BBC international BBC News app and BBC.com. In addition, advertising is increasingly being carried on the BBC World Service’s websites in 28 languages.According to BBC, once the commercial roll out is complete, advertisers will have the potential to reach 132 million browsers across the BBC’s digital international news offering.The launch is the latest development in a series of new digital launches in Japan which include a Japanese language YouTube channel and Twitter feed, along with a number of important VOD and syndication deals with some of Japan’s major digital companies including Hulu and Yahoo!Jim Egan, CEO of BBC global news said: “We know there is an appetite for trusted, impartial international news. The BBC reaches an upmarket, affluent audience and launches like this allow us to enhance our offer to advertisers and partners who want to reach an influential, elite demographic across an even broader variety of platforms.”Carolyn Gibson, EVP, BBC Advertising, said, “The scale, breadth and quality of our language services puts the BBC in a unique positon to help advertisers reach targeted audiences across the world on the screens that matter and in the languages they care about. Working with these sites allows brands to achieve both local relevance and global impact.”