| The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a public service broadcaster, headquartered at Broadcasting House in Westminster, London. It is the world's oldest national broadcaster, and the largest broadcaster on the planet by number of employees, employing more than 22,000 staff altogether, of whom more than 19,000 are in public sector broadcasting. The total number of BBC staff adds up to 35,402 including part-time, flexible, and fixed-contract staff.
The BBC is set up under a Royal Charter and operates under its Agreement with the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. Its work is funded principally by an annual television licence fee which is charged to all British families, organizations, and associations using any kind of equipment to receive or record live television broadcasts and iPlayer catch-up.
The fee is set by the British Government, agreed by Parliament, and used to fund the BBC's radio, TV, and online services covering the countries and regions of the UK. Since 1 April 2014, it has likewise funded the BBC World Service (launched in 1932 as the BBC Empire Service), which broadcasts in 28 languages and provides extensive TV, radio, and online services in Arabic and Persian.
Around a quarter of BBC's income comes from its commercial subsidiary BBC Studios (formerly BBC Worldwide), which sells BBC programmes and services internationally and furthermore distributes the BBC's international 24-hour English-language news services BBC World News, and from BBC.com, provided by BBC Global News Ltd. In 2009, the company was awarded the Queen's Award for Enterprise in recognition of its international achievements.
From its beginning, during the Second World War (where its broadcasts helped to unite the nation), to the popularisation of TV in the post-WW2 era and the internet in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, the BBC has played a prominent role in British life and culture. It is also known colloquially as The Beeb, Auntie, or a combination of both (as Auntie Beeb).
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