From the outset, BBC America has cherrypicked the highlights from the domestic BBC television networks, including comedy, drama, and lifestyle programming. There are also at least four half-hour world news bulletins included in each 24 hour period.
BBC America is distributed in association with Discovery Networks, the parent company of the Discovery Channel, who also handles the affiliate and advertising sales. The channel, unlike the BBC's domestic networks which are supported through television licence fees, is wholly advertising-supported. However, all news programs run commercial-free, and the comedy programs run in specially-formatted blocks that allow them to run unedited.
BBC America caused some dismay to some viewers when it dropped the soap opera EastEnders in October 2003, but it argued that the show was one of the channel's least popular, although EastEnders, along with other BBC programming, also appears on PBS stations.