BBC Worldwide planning 30 more channels

London -- BBC Worldwide is planning to establish 30 more channels internationally, Britain's daily the Guardian reported Monday.

The new channels will be rolled out during the next two years, starting in April, and will join existing brands such as BBC America and BBC Canada.

Also in the works are a high-definition channel and an on-demand service in the United States.

The news comes on the heels of the announcement that the BBC is eliminating approximately 2,500 jobs, mostly from its news and factual programming divisions.

The new channels will be based on four thematic brands -- BBC Entertainment, with shows such as "Doctor Who"; BBC Knowledge, featuring programs such as "Top Gear"; BBC Lifestyle, with "What Not To Wear"; and a children's channel called CBeebies, featuring the "Teletubbies."

"There is not a market we are not looking at," BBC Worldwide's managing director of channels, Darren Childs, told the Guardian.

He said the ambitious launch would help build the BBC brand internationally as well as challenge big U.S. media companies such as Viacom and Turner.

"It will take us three to five years to take us to the scale of our competitors, but I am confident we can do it," he said.

© 2007 United Press International.