BBC Two
Television channel operated by the BBC / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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BBC Two or (previously) BBC2 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream and popular BBC One.
 Logo used since 2021 | |
| Country | United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area |
|
| Network | BBC Television |
| Headquarters | Broadcasting House |
| Programming | |
| Language(s) | English |
| Picture format | |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | BBC |
| Sister channels | |
| History | |
| Launched | 20 April 1964; 60 years ago (1964-04-20) |
| Former names | BBC2 (20 April 1964 – 4 October 1997) |
| Links | |
| Website | BBC Two |
| Availability | |
| Terrestrial | |
| Freeview |
|
| Streaming media | |
| BBC iPlayer | Watch live (UK only) |
Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio channels, it is funded by the television licence, and is therefore free of commercial advertising. It is a comparatively well-funded public-service channel, regularly attaining a much higher audience share than most public-service channels worldwide.
Originally styled BBC2, it was the third British television station to be launched (starting on 20 April 1964), and from 1 July 1967, Europe's first television channel to broadcast regularly in colour. It was envisaged as a home for less mainstream and more ambitious programming, and while this tendency has continued to date, most special-interest programmes of a kind previously broadcast on BBC Two, for example the BBC Proms, now tend to appear on BBC Four instead.
A major global study by the polling organisation Populus for the BBC found that BBC Two is rated as the third-highest quality television channel in the world, behind BBC One and Brazil's TV Cultura. In general, publicly funded television was rated higher than commercial channels.[1]