The announcement was made by the Chancellor Alistair Darling during his Comprehensive Spending Review outlined in parliament yesterday. It sees BBC World Service's overall funding rise from £246 million this year to £271 million by 2011, with the extra funds split over the three year period.
This includes £15 million annual funding for a London-based BBC news and information TV channel in the Farsi (Persian) language for Iran, which will be launched next year.
BBC World Service director Nigel Chapman said: "As we mark the 75th birthday of the BBC's service to the world this December, this settlement strengthens BBC World Service's future as a multi-media provider of high quality independent and impartial news and information around the world."
The extra funding will also enhance its forthcoming BBC Arabic Television Service. Due to launch early next year as a 12 hour a day news service at a cost of £19 million a year, the extra funding means the channel will now be able to broadcast 24 hours later in the year.
The services in Arabic and Farsi will be the first television news services to be launched by the BBC in a decade, and the first to be publicly funded by Grant-in-Aid from the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office. No licence fee money is used in the funding of any BBC World Service operations.
Chapman added: "It specifically means that audiences in the Middle East and Iran will have multi-media access – through television, radio, and online – to trusted journalism of the highest standing and increased opportunity for dialogue and debate. We believe this will be a popular and valuable asset for audiences in this troubled region."
