BBC World News is an international pay television channel that is operated by BBC. The BBC is a public corporation of the UK government's Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. It has the largest audience of any channel, with an estimated 121 million viewers weekly in 2016/2017, part of the estimated 372 million weekly audience of the BBC's four main international news services. Launched on 11 March 1991 as BBC World Service Television outside Europe, its name was changed to BBC World on 16 January 1995 and to BBC World News on 21 April 2008. It broadcasts news bulletins, documentaries, lifestyle programmes and interview shows. Unlike the BBC's domestic channels, BBC World News is owned and operated by BBC Global News Ltd., part of the BBC's commercial group of companies, and is funded by subscription and advertising revenues, and not by the United Kingdom television licence. It is not owned by BBC Studios. The service is aimed at the overseas market, similar to CNN International, Al Jazeera English, NHK World, DW, and RT.