7 Facts About World Service

1. The BBC World Service traditionally broadcasts the chimes of Big Ben in London at the start of a new year.

2. In November 2016, the BBC World Service announced it plans to start broadcasts in Korean.

3. In those two countries, the BBC World Service was only available via shortwave and the Internet.

4. The World Service is available up to eighteen hours a day in English across most parts of Asia, and in Arabic for the Middle East.

5. At its launch, the World Service was located along with most radio output in Broadcasting House.

6. The World Service was funded for decades by grant-in-aid through the Foreign and Commonwealth Office of the British Government until 1 April 2014.

7. In 2015 World Service reached an average of 210 million people a week.