BBC Worldwide has announced that BBC Brit and BBC Earth, two of three new global genre brands announced last year, will make their international channel debut in Poland on 1 February 2015. They will be accessible to Polish audiences through DTH, cable and IPTV providers in the market.

The new global brands are a key part of BBC Worldwide’s strategic plan to inspire global audiences and cement the BBC’s international reputation for excellence in factual entertainment with BBC Brit and premium factual with BBC Earth. The upcoming launch will follow the successful debut of BBC First, a premium drama channel, in Australia this August.

BBC Brit offers premium factual entertainment that is intelligent but irreverent. Male-skewing but with broader appeal, it blends expertise with entertainment and fact with fun. The channel will become the exclusive home of Top Gear and covers a rich variety of subjects: cars, science, adventure, business, food, life-changing moments, extreme characters, quirky eccentrics, music, sport and comedy.

BBC Earth will inspire audiences by sharing the incredible wonders of our universe. The channel will showcase the work of the world’s foremost factual film makers as it seeks to take audiences on a thrilling journey of discovery. From the smallest creature under the microscope to the limitless expanses of space, BBC Earth will bring viewers face to face with heart pounding action, mind blowing ideas and the wonder of being human.

Tim Davie, CEO BBC Worldwide and Director Global, said, “This is an important step in BBC Worldwide’s global strategy to inspire audiences with intelligent, distinctive content. We have already experienced success with the launch of our premium drama brand, BBC First, in Australia and I am confident that BBC Brit and BBC Earth will prove to be popular with Polish audiences. The freshly branded channels will be perfect homes for our best known programme brands, including Top Gear. BBC Brit and BBC Earth will launch initially in Poland as linear channels, and our future global aspiration is for them to be available to consumers in many ways, whether as VOD services, consumer products or live events. This September saw the launch of bbc.com/earth – a brand new digital space where audiences are able to explore their world, discovering its wonders and finding something amazing every day.”

Paul Dempsey, President for Global Markets at BBC Worldwide, said, “This new generation of global brands have been created and shaped by research into audience demand. The success of shows such as Top Gear and Frozen Planet demonstrate a clear appetite for premium factual and factual entertainment programming the BBC specialises in and we are looking forward to bringing more of these to Polish viewers with BBC Brit and BBC Earth.”

In Poland BBC Entertainment and BBC Knowledge will be refreshed into BBC Brit and BBC Earth with an increased investment into exclusive new content. BBC Brit and BBC Earth will be available in HD and sit alongside BBC Lifestyle, CBeebies and BBC HD in the Polish market.

Further roll out of the new global genre brands will be announced in due course.