PBS to Start U.K. Channel

PBS is developing a new digital channel to air its programs in Great Britain, The New York Times reports.

The nonprofit public broadcaster, for decades a major conduit for British shows to reach American audiences, will start the new venture via U.K. cable and satellite systems as soon as the fall, several PBS executives told the Times.

The new channel, to be called PBS UK, will get financial backing from W. David Lyons, the head of Orca Exploration Group, a U.K company that operates a natural gas field in Tanzania. The network said Mr. Lyons, who was born in Canada, “grew up on PBS programming and is interested in bringing such content” to Britain.

Paula Kerger, PBS’s president, said the broadcaster has long sold individual shows to Great Britain but decided it would “make sense to try to put an actual channel together” after seeing competitors such as Discovery start international channels.