BBC Worldwide Channels

BBC Brit and Earth launched in Poland last month. As expected, they replaced BBC Entertainment and BBC Knowledge. The same thing will happen in the Nordic countries next month.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/worldwide/2014/brit-earth-poland
http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/worldwide/2015/brit-earth-nordics

All press surrounding these launches say that BBC Brit will be mostly based on Top Gear. It's a bit odd to see what was once BBC Prime being replaced by a channel with a narrow focus almost completely built on one programme (with a questionable future now that Clarkson is out). Top Gear is not even exclusive to BBC Brit, it airs on domestic channels in many countries.

It appears BBC Earth will be mostly about nature and space. Most of the great history, science, technology and other factual programming that is on BBC Knowledge will disappear.

A bit of a shame to see the BBC Knowledge name disappear again, but on the plus side that leaves it open for BBC Four to use the name again when BBC Three closes (erm, I mean "moves online")

It does, but a lot of the arts stuff on BBC Four wouldn't fit with that name.

Arts and culture - science and discovery...

Isn't BBC Earth just the same as UKTV's Eden channel?

When BBC Three goes online only, is there any reason why it would need a different name? Furthermore, ISTR that BBC Four launched before BBC Three, and the world didn't end as a result that crime against numeracy.

I wonder if it's region specific because BBC hd in Nordic and on 13e Europe is the same, I've not seen any proper idents on BBC Brit Poland or BBC earth Poland it just goes straight to the programme

IF... not when. Though seemingly almost certain.

BBC Earth is very much based on Eden, and BBC Brit is essentially an international version of Dave with less emphasis on comedy programming which is harder to export. The programme selections can be sampled in these links:
http://www.bbcpolska.com/programy/
http://www.bbcnordic.com/shows/

The old channels were organised the way UKTV was when it launched in 1997 (BBC Entertainment = UK Gold, BBC Knowledge = UK Horizons and BBC Lifestyle = UK Style).

BBC HD is indeed the same in Poland and the Nordics. BBC Brit and Earth launched in HD, so BBC HD will perhaps also be rebranded or overhauled later on.

Always frustrates me that the BBC's international branding is far superior to their domestic stuff. Seems to have always been that way though.

BBC Food was also very much a clone of UKTV Food

Indeed it was renamed Good Food to align itself with the magazine of the same name, which is published by BBC Worldwide.

Not sure I see the reasoning there? Don't see why having different domestic and international channels with the same brand would be that much of a problem. Websites would be routed via IP (so international viewers typing bbc.co.uk/bbcknowledge would get routed to the bbc.com version?)

It would be a little confusing internally - but no more so than different versions of the same international channels with the same name?

Whether the BBC uses BBC Knowledge domestically as a brand wouldn't be linked to international usage I wouldn't have thought?

Personally I think that the numbering will stay, at least for a while, as the BBC Three brand will continue to exist online, and BBC Four itself has a reasonably strong brand and brand awareness.