PBS, which is 15 per cent funded by the US government with the rest coming from corporate sponsorship, donations and commercial ventures. Apart from its morning strand of educational preschool programming, PBS is best-known for news and current affairs, science programs and documentaries. In the UK the channel will carry advertising, with Channel 4 acting as the main advertising sales house, while Red Bee Media (previously BBC Broadcast) will manage all playout, media and continuity services, as well as providing electronic programme guide listings and information. PBS revenue in its 2010 financial year was $571m, compared to the BBC annual TV licence fees of $5.6bn in the same year.

The funding constraints on PBS actually make commercial ventures like PBS UK more likely after 41 years in the USA. Licensing its programming into the UK has become harder given the strong culture of factual programming on UK terrestrial channels and the presence on the market of major US channel brands like Discovery, History Channel and national Geographic. PBS also said there was strong demand for its programmes from the expat population.

PBS UK is owned jointly by PBS distribution LLC and investment company Quadra Group. In the US, PBS reaches 124 million Americans and with the launch of the channel on the UK's biggest pay TV platforms, the company will gain more than 13m new homes. Virgin has also secured the rights to offer PBS content on its video-on-demand service, including the Virgin Media Player.

If the launch in the UK is successful, the channel will roll out in other international markets like Scandinavia or Africa.