BBC
News Online and BBC Sport Online are re-launched
BBC
News and BBC Sport re-launch their websites this week making access
much quicker and navigation easier.
The
re-launch comes as latest figures reveal that use of BBC News Online
stands at record levels.
Twenty-three
per cent of all UK internet users - approximately five million people
- regularly visit the BBC News
website compared with 11 per cent three years ago.
A similar
number of users from outside the UK also regularly visit the site.
Use
of the BBC Sport site
is also growing - traffic has doubled over the past two years and
the site is now used by about two million people a week.
The
Cricket
World Cup is introducing BBC Sport to a whole new audience on
the web.
The
sport website re-launches on Thursday 20 February 2003.
The
sites have been redesigned and have been made wider (800 pixels).
This means there will be more news stories at the top of the page
giving users greater choice.
The
pages will also be easier to read and navigate. For example, users
will now be able to view a whole page with a single scroll.
Users will also
be able to download these sites 30 per cent faster following a series
of technical improvements.
Richard
Deverell, Head of BBC News Interactive, said: "These changes
mark a significant improvement in the ease of use and the download
speed for both the news and sports sites.
"However,
the changes are evolutionary rather than revolutionary; they build
on the success of these sites and I hope users will soon feel comfortable
with the new designs."
The
BBC News Online revamp, which
goes live tomorrow (Wednesday 19 February 2003) also enables the
pages to be more adaptable so in times of breaking news, when there
is heavy demand, the pages can still download quickly.
Andrew
Thompson, Head of New Media, Sports News and Development, BBC Sport,
said: "Over the last two years, the BBC Sport website has built
up an impressive user base establishing itself as the country's
leading general sports site.
"The
exciting new design will make the user's journey around our great
range of content even more enjoyable - as well as helping to emphasise
the strong links between the site and BBC Sport's television and
radio output."
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