BBC blew $375k on bbc.com

October 2005

The BBC has defended its decision to blow $375,000 (£212,000) of public money on the bbc.com domain.

The broadcaster - which is funded by a licence fee payable by every UK household with a TV - bought the domain back in 1999 from US firm Boston Business Computing but refused to say how much it had paid out.

At the time estimates suggested that the BBC had shelled out between £20,000 and £200,000, although some even suggested it could have been as high as $30m.

But following a request under the Freedom of Information Act the broadcaster has finally come clean.

"The BBC purchased the domain name bbc.com in 1999 from Boston Business Computing, Limited, a Massachusetts registered corporation, for US$375,000. The sale involved a 24 month transitional period to ensure emails for Boston Business Computing and visitors to its site were redirected," it said.