BBC One

BBC One
Logo used since 2021
CountryUnited Kingdom
Broadcast area
NetworkBBC Television
HeadquartersBroadcasting House, London, United Kingdom
Programming
Language(s)English
Picture format1080i/1080p[a] HDTV
(downscaled to 576i for the SDTV feed)
2160p UHDTV (ongoing trials, available on BBC iPlayer for certain programmes only)
Ownership
OwnerBBC
Sister channels
History
Launched2 November 1936 (1936-11-02)
Former names
  • BBC Television Service (2 November 1936 – 7 October 1960)
  • BBC TV (8 October 1960 – 19 April 1964)
  • BBC1 (20 April 1964 – 3 October 1997)
Links
WebcastBBC One on BBC iPlayer (UK only)
WebsiteBBC One
Availability
Terrestrial
FreeviewChannel 1 (SD)
Channel 101 (HD)
Other providersSee dedicated section

BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's oldest and flagship channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, primetime drama and entertainment, and live BBC Sport events.

The channel was launched on 2 November 1936 under the name BBC Television Service, which was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution.[b] It was renamed BBC TV in 1960 and used this name until the launch of the second BBC channel, BBC2, in 1964. The main channel then became known as BBC1. The channel adopted the current spelling of BBC One in 1997.

The channel's annual budget for 2012–2013 was £1.14 billion.[1] It is funded by the television licence fee together with the BBC's other domestic television stations and shows uninterrupted programming without commercial advertising. The television channel had the highest reach share of any broadcaster in the United Kingdom as at 2019,[2] ahead of its traditional rival for ratings leadership ITV.[3] In 2013, a major global study of the BBC by the Populus polling organisation found BBC One to be rated the highest-quality TV channel in the world, with BBC Two coming in third place.[4]


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  1. ^ "BBC One Service Licence" (PDF). BBC Trust. November 2012. Archived (PDF) from the original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 17 May 2013.
  2. ^ "UK: most watched TV channels 2019". Statista. 13 January 2021. Retrieved 20 February 2022.
  3. ^ "Most popular TV channels in the UK 2021". Statista. Retrieved 19 January 2022.
  4. ^ "International Perceptions of TV Quality" (PDF). Downloads.bbc.co.uk. Archived (PDF) from the original on 8 March 2014. Retrieved 21 February 2022.