BBC America was launched on March 29, 1998, presenting a mixture of comedy, drama and lifestyle programs from BBC Television and other British television broadcasters including ITV and Channel 4.

While initially purchasing 29.9% of the company, the remaining 70.1% was purchased after CRTC approval. Blue Ant announced in March 2021 that the channel would be rebranded as a Canadian version of BBC First on March 16.

The BBC has announced its intention to bring BBC News in the UK and World News together into a single TV channel called BBC News. 2 This is expected to happen in April 2023 and will broadcast around the world – from London during UK daytime hours, then Singapore and Washington DC.