BBC considering merging its international TV news channel, BBC World News, with its domestic BBC News channel in the UK to cut costs.

The BBC is considering merging its two news channels, its international TV channel BBC World News, and its domestic BBC News channel in the United Kingdom to cut costs.

In July last year plans emerged to turn the BBC News channel seen in the UK only, into an online channel only.

That has not happened. 

Of course, the TV viewership and reach of the BBC's international TV news audience keeps growing, making it unlikely that BBC World News will become an online-only channel or close down. 

And yet the BBC is being forced to dramatically cut costs. Now, one of the solutions on the table is to merge the local and the international BBC News channels, as first reported by The Guardian.

The BBC runs BBC News as a domestic 24-hour TV news channel, alongside an international and slightly differentiated channel feed, BBC World News, using the same resources.

Sometimes international viewers get to see BBC News coverage when BBC World News switches to BBC News for certain events - similar to when CNN International (DStv 401) switches to the CNN version seen in America.

Programmes like Outside Source is also simulcast and shown on BBC World News and BBC News at the same time.

James Harding, the BBC's director of news and current affairs, has said that closing down one of the channels is not on the agenda.

Yet, possibly merging the two channels into one will effectively mean the loss of a channel if the plan is enacted.

In South Africa and Africa, BBC World News is carried on MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV platform on channel 400, and on On Digital Media (ODM) and StarTimes Media SA's StarSat on channel 256.

As part of cost-cutting plans announced on Tuesday, the BBC is looking at the possibility of replacing BBC News and BBC World News with just one 24-hour TV news channel as "a single new BBC channel offering a global agenda from London".

The BBC News channel alone costs the BBC £63 million (R1,45 trillion) per year to run. It's not clear how much BBC World News costs per year to operate.

BREAKING. New weekday show, Outside Source, starting on BBC World News with Ros Atkins on Monday, 17 February.

There's not been a word about it from BBC World News (DStv 400 / StarSat 400) to TV critics, writers or editors in South Africa, but a brand-new and revolutionary weekday show Outside Source with presenter Ros Atkins will start on Monday, 17 February on the channel.

Don't look for Outside Source on either BBC World News' electronic programme guide (EPG) on MultiChoice's DStv or On Digital Media's (ODM) StarSat - it simply doesn't appear.

"No story in the news is ever at a fixed point," says Ros Atkins, "it's continually evolving".

"We're hoping to show our viewers exactly the live feeds we've got, the information we have at our fingertips, but also what we're trying to find out; maybe what we're struggling to find out too," says Ros Atkins.

"We're also going to give a much more central role to the information and expertise that lots of people outside the BBC are sharing - sometimes with us; often they're just posting it online".

Apparently Outside Source will be moving away from the traditional news studio environment. Ros Atkins will use what he calls "the world's biggest iPad". "It's a brand-new touch screen which allows us to bring our viewers all the live feeds and also all of the latest information".

Not even I can figure out when Outside Source, supposed to suddenly start on Monday 17 February will be on, but my best guess and estimate would be Mondays to Fridays at 20:00 South African time.

Maybe somebody at BBC World News will issue a press release or statement or something at some point about Outside Source starting and the time.

Mostly viewers of BBC World News or TV news channels will probably have to just find it or stumble upon it on their own.