Globally, the BBC World Service, which aims to reflect the UK, its culture and values to the world, had a weekly audience of 320m in 2023-24. Since 2022, the BBC has reduced expenditure on the BBC World Service, in part driven by falling licence fee income, with savings plans announced of £28.5m across its international services.
The PAC’s 2016 report on the World Service called for a joined-up approach to safeguard its future.
In 2025, the NAO is examining how effectively the World Service is managing its savings programmes and digital transformation. Following the NAO’s latest report, the PAC will take evidence from senior officials at the BBC, including its Director General, as it scrutinises the financial position of the World Service.
If you have evidence on these issues, please submit it here by 23:59 on Monday 15 December 2025.
Please look at the requirements for written evidence submissions and note that the Committee cannot accept material as evidence that is published elsewhere. You can request anonymity or confidentiality when you send evidence, but it is the Committee which decides what information to publish and how. It may treat submissions confidentially, even where you have not requested this.
Please note that the Committee’s inquiry cannot assist with individual cases. If you need help with an individual problem you are having, you may wish to read the information on Parliament’s website about who you can contact with different issues.