BBC America BBC America is a United States cable network owned and operated by BBC Worldwide . In 2009 , it acquired first United States broadcast rights for the revived " Doctor Who " . It held the US rights for the initial broadcast of " Torchwood " , until it lost them to Starz beginning with the 2011 series . BBC America ' s focus is the broadcast of primarily British — but not exclusively BBC — content to the United States . Because it is not run by the BBC proper it has to pay for its content like any other American broadcaster . Its independent status also allows it to funnel some of its budget into new works , which has made it a co - production partner on several BBC shows , including Steven Moffat ' s . In 2010 , it became the first American network to pay for the actual production of " Doctor Who " since the Fox Broadcasting Company ' s support of the 1996 telefilm , when it signed on to co - produce the two American - based episodes of series 6 . It also created a large range of original video content for its official series 5 " Doctor Who " website , and was the sole producer of " The Ultimate Guide " . Commercial network . BBC America is budgeted independently of the BBC . This has had some consequences for its audience . It has created the need for the channel to run advertisements to generate revenue . This means that the programmes are edited to allow for these commercials . In some cases — such as unusually long episodes of " Doctor Who " like " Journey ' s End " — BBC America has aired versions missing significant portions of the BBC One versions ( though it should be noted these are rebroadcasts of episodes previously aired by Syfy ; BBCA did not begin airing episodes first - run until " The Next Doctor " ) . The need for the network to adopt a more traditionally American format can play havoc with the authorial intent of its shows . For instance , BBC America was the original American home of the ITV show , . To create a more standard American season , the network combined the first two British series into what it called " Season 1 " . This has led to some confusion between people used to its airing on BBC America and those more familiar with its original ITV broadcast . Such a scenario has not yet occurred with " Doctor Who " , however , with BBCA adhering to the season structure of the series , including Series 6 which was split into two sub - seasons in 2011 . Despite these drawbacks , the commercial revenue stream has provided the company with profits that it uses for the production of some new programming . Initially fueled by a desire to offer its own coverage of the 2008 US Presidential election , it originates its own news programming , distinct from BBC World News . Several British shows have received backing from BBCA beyond " Jekyll " . , , and ( known stateside as " Clatterford " ) are amongst the projects that have received BBCA backing . In 2010 , BBCA funded not just " Doctor Who " , but also " Primeval " . Nevertheless , BBCA is primarily a distributor , not a producer . As a commercial network , it must bid for the right to show BBC programming like any other network in America . It has not always won the right to debut BBC shows in America . It failed to receive the initial rights to the BBC Wales version of " Doctor Who " and " The Sarah Jane Adventures " , for instance — but it was the original American home for " Torchwood " , though it subsequently lost the rights after " Children of Earth " and " Miracle Day " aired on the Starz network . However , it will broadcast " Miracle Day " in 2013 . On May 28 , 2009 , it was announced that BBC America had won the initial US broadcast right to " Doctor Who " beginning with " The Next Doctor " and the 2009 specials . The length of their right to originate " Doctor Who " episodes in the US is unknown , but has shown no sign of ending . Except for " The End of Time " , a two - parter that is shown in a three - hour block , all Doctor Who episodes airing on BBCA are edited to fit a 60 - minute timeslot which typically allows for 44 - 45 minutes of programming and 15 minutes of advertising along with spots promoting BBCA original programs . This requirement has only affected episodes aired in reruns , rather than the original broadcasts ( such as of " The Eleventh Hour " and " A Christmas Carol " ) . On demand services . In some parts of the United States , BBC America runs a secondary service called " BBC America On Demand " . For an additional fee , subscribers receive largely commercial - free versions of the shows running on BBC America . Thus , in a sense the network does offer some BBC content in more or less the way it was intended to be seen . Home media sales . Through a relationship with the BBC America Shop , headquartered in Pennsylvania , the network drives sales of Region 1 DVDs of its programs . Although the shop is not the only outlet for BBC Video sales in North America , it is the " de facto " " official provider " for BBC America , and a major supporter of the BBC America website . The fact that the network provides an American home for some British shows creates a business rationale for releasing them to the Region 1 market . Shows like " Torchwood " and " Jekyll " would likely not have received a speedy Region 1 DVD release without the involvement of BBC America . Beginning with the DVD release of the " Children of Earth " miniseries , DVD and Blu - Ray release of " Doctor Who " and " Torchwood " product have now been occurring within weeks ( sometimes even days in a few cases ) of broadcast on BBC America . Original DWU content . Although the network has helped co - produce a couple of episodes of " Doctor Who " itself , the network has been the " sole " producer of the following original DWU content : In addition , the original BBCA broadcast of " Let ' s Kill Hitler " included a sponsor commercial that featured a " motion comic " expanding on a scene involving Amy Pond and Rory Williams engaging in a motorcycle chase . This sequence was unique to the BBCA broadcast and has not been released to DVD nor aired outside the US . In - universe references . Gabby Gonzalez watched " The Crimson Field " on BBC America . ( COMIC : " The Weeping Angels of Mons " )