BBC AMERICA CONFIRMS ROYAL WEDDING BROADCAST

Coverage of Royal Wedding offered live and commercial free

New York, NY - As the world turns to London for the event of the decade, BBC AMERICA today confirmed that it will carry extensive uninterrupted live coverage of the Royal Wedding on April 29. The live, commercial free broadcast will be a direct simulcast of BBC ONE's coverage - BBC ONE is the BBC's flagship channel in the UK. The broadcast of the wedding is the centerpiece of weeks of build-up on BBC AMERICA, which includes original production, Royally Mad, presented by Cat Deeley, an extensive slate of documentaries on the Royals, and three BBC World News America specials on the Modern Monarchy. More details of the Royal Wedding feed will be announced shortly.

Perry Simon, GM Channels, BBC Worldwide America comments: "I am delighted that BBC AMERICA will give our viewers the opportunity to watch events in London live and without commercial breaks - just as if they were sitting in a British living room watching the BBC. From the moment the Royal Wedding was announced, we have committed BBC AMERICA to be the Home of the Royal Wedding, and our special wedding coverage is the perfect celebration of this momentous occasion."

BBC AMERICA's telecast will feature commentary from acclaimed BBC ONE news anchor Huw Edwards, whowill lead the BBC's team of presenters throughout the day. Commenting on the news of his appointment, Edwards said: "I am delighted with the news and consider it a great honour to play a part in what I am sure will be a huge national celebration."

In recent years Edwards has been the BBC's anchor for major state occasions such as 2004's D-Day 60th anniversary, the Pope's visit, Trooping the Colour, the State Opening of Parliament, Festival of Remembrance and the opening and closing ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics and Commonwealth Games.

In addition to the live feed, BBC AMERICA has added a further U.S. premiere documentary to its slate of Royal programming. Prince William's Africa had unprecedented access to the Prince, both in private and in public, as he undertook his first Royal Tour of Africa earlier last year. Speaking candidly to presenter Ben Fogle, Prince William reveals his passion for conservation in Africa and how the continent feels like his second home. His visit is also to support the Tusk Trust, the African wildlife conversation charity of which he's the Royal Patron. He's arranged for a group of London teenagers from the homeless charity Centrepoint, another venture he supports since visiting the charity as a child with his mother, to make their first trip to Africa and help Tusk with their building projects. The film also joined him as he escapesinto the African bush for a research safari. Shot against the backdrop of Africa's breath-taking landscape and wildlife, the film offers a revealing insight into the man who will, one day, be King of England. Prince William in Africa premieres on Sunday, April 24, 2:00pm ET/PT.

Today's programming announcement builds on BBC AMERICA's robust line up of royal activity and reinforces it as the Home of the Royal Wedding. Previously announced titles include William & Kate: Modern Monarchy, Modern Monarchy: Here and There and Modern Monarchy: Dos and Don'ts as well asWilliam & Harry: The Brother Princes, All the Queen's Horses and Memories of a Queen.

In addition to BBC AMERICA's broadcast programming,BBCAmerica.com has its Royal Wedding Insider blog. BBC Royal Correspondent: Peter Hunt, who conducted the first television interview ever with Prince William and the first radio interview with Prince Harry, is lead contributor and the site offers daily updates on all wedding activities. The site also offers regular pop-culture commentary, live chats, video, media from the BBC archives, and an embeddable countdown widget. Follow BBC AMERICA'S continued coverage on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/TheRoyalWedding,

BBC AMERICA delivers U.S. audiences high-quality, innovative and intelligent programming. Established in 1998, it has been the launch pad for talent embraced by American mainstream pop culture, including Ricky Gervais, Gordon Ramsay, Graham Norton, and successful programming formats including ground-breaking non-scripted television like Top Gear and top-rated science-fiction like Doctor Who. Owned by BBC Worldwide, the commercial arm of the BBC, BBC AMERICA has attracted both critical acclaim and major awards including an Emmy, four Golden Globes and ten Peabody Awards. The channel attracts one of cable's most affluent and educated audiences and is available on digital cable and satellite TV in more than 68 million homes. It broadcasts in both standard and high-definition, with content available On Demand across all major digital platforms. Online, www.bbcamerica.comis the place to go to dig deeper into pop culture with a British twist.