In May this year the BBC's website will get a new look and a new name:
bbc.co.uk.
In a phased roll-out, the new name will appear across the BBC's website
from Thursday 6 May (from 2.30pm), followed by a new, simplified design
for the home page from Monday 17 May 2004.
The term BBCi, previously used for both the BBC's internet and interactive
television services, will now refer solely to interactive television.
The name change has come about after consumer research showed that
although the term BBCi was becoming closely associated with the BBC's
interactive television services, it had much less recognition with users
of the BBC website.
Ashley Highfield, BBC Director of New Media & Technology, explains:
"The BBC has a vital role to play in getting people online and, once
they're there, making the internet as simple and easy to use as possible.
"The new name bbc.co.uk is much more intuitive for users and the
improved, clearer home page design will make our website easier to navigate."
Notes to Editors
Latest figures for the BBC's website show that the BBC's reach amongst
the 23 million internet-using adults in the UK hit an all-time high
of 45% in March 2004.
A record number of 10.35 million people used the BBC website during
March, a month on month increase of 750,000 new users.
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