The world of technology journalism just witnessed a significant shift that most people probably missed. In March 2025, the BBC quietly retired one of its most beloved programmes and launched something entirely new. What happened next tells us everything about where tech media is heading and it’s not what you might expect.

When Click Clicked Its Last Click

For over two decades, BBC’s “Click” was the go-to programme for millions of tech enthusiasts worldwide. Every week, viewers tuned in to watch Spencer Kelly and his team explore everything from the latest smartphones to cutting-edge AI developments. The show had that perfect balance of being accessible to everyday viewers while still diving deep enough to satisfy the tech-savvy crowd.

But like many things in our rapidly changing digital world, even Click couldn’t keep up with the pace of modern technology news. The programme aired its final episode in March 2025, marking the end of an era for technology broadcasting. The closure wasn’t just about one show ending – it represented a fundamental shift in how we consume tech news.

The problem with traditional weekly tech shows became obvious over the past few years. Technology moves at lightning speed now. By the time a weekly programme aired, the news it covered was often already old. Smartphone launches, AI breakthroughs, cryptocurrency crashes, social media controversies – they all happen in real-time, and audiences expect their news coverage to match that pace.

Enter Tech Now: BBC’s Bold Answer

Rather than simply mourning the loss of Click, BBC decided to completely reimagine how it approaches technology journalism. On March 29, 2025, they launched “Tech Now”. a programme that promises to be everything Click couldn’t be in today’s fast-moving tech landscape.

The name itself tells you everything about the philosophy behind this new show. Not “Tech This Week” or “Tech Update” – but “Tech Now.” It’s about immediacy, relevance, and understanding that technology news can’t wait for convenient scheduling slots.

What makes Tech Now different isn’t just its approach to timing. The programme leverages BBC’s established network of technology reporters from around the globe. Instead of having a small team try to cover everything, they’re tapping into the knowledge and expertise of journalists who are already embedded in different tech scenes worldwide.

This means viewers get insights from someone who actually understands the Silicon Valley startup scene, reports from journalists who’ve been following European tech policy for years, and perspectives from reporters covering the emerging tech hubs in Asia and Africa. It’s a much more comprehensive and nuanced approach to technology journalism.

Why This Matters More Than You Think

The transition from Click to Tech Now might seem like just another corporate rebrand, but it actually reflects something much bigger happening in technology journalism. Traditional media companies are finally waking up to the fact that tech isn’t just another beat – it’s the beat that touches everything else.

Think about it. When was the last time you read a major news story that didn’t have some technology component? Politics is shaped by social media algorithms. Economic stories revolve around tech companies. Even sports and entertainment are increasingly driven by technological innovations. The line between “tech news” and “news” has essentially disappeared.

BBC’s approach with Tech Now acknowledges this reality. Rather than treating technology as a niche interest, they’re positioning it as a lens through which to understand the broader world. The programme doesn’t just cover the latest gadgets – it explores how technology shapes society, politics, economics, and culture.

This shift is particularly important given the current state of technology journalism. Too many outlets have fallen into the trap of either being too technical for general audiences or too shallow for people who actually understand technology. Tech Now seems designed to thread that needle by focusing on the human impact of technological change.

The Global Perspective Problem

One of the most interesting aspects of Tech Now is its commitment to global coverage. This addresses a major blind spot in technology journalism, the overwhelming focus on Silicon Valley and American tech companies.

For years, tech news has been dominated by stories about Apple, Google, Meta, and other US giants. Meanwhile, incredible innovations happening in places like Bangalore, Shenzhen, Tel Aviv, and Lagos got minimal coverage. This American-centric view of technology was always limiting, but it’s become completely inadequate as tech innovation has truly gone global.

China’s advancements in everything from electric vehicles to artificial intelligence, India’s revolutionary approach to digital payments, Africa’s mobile-first financial services, Europe’s leadership in privacy regulation – these stories are just as important as whatever’s happening in Cupertino or Mountain View. Tech Now’s global network of reporters means viewers will actually get to hear about these developments.

This global approach also helps address another problem with traditional tech journalism – the tendency to cover technology in isolation from its cultural and political context. A new AI system developed in China has very different implications than the same technology developed in Silicon Valley. Tech Now’s approach should help viewers understand these nuances.

The Speed vs. Depth Challenge

Perhaps the biggest challenge facing Tech Now – and technology journalism in general – is balancing speed with depth. Social media and technology blogs can deliver breaking news instantly, but they often lack the context and analysis that helps audiences understand why that news matters.

Traditional media outlets like BBC have always excelled at providing that context, but they’ve struggled with speed. A weekly programme like Click could provide excellent analysis, but by the time it aired, the conversation had often moved on to something else entirely.

Tech Now’s format seems designed to solve this problem. By having a dedicated team focused specifically on technology news, they can respond quickly to breaking stories while still providing the depth of analysis that distinguishes quality journalism from mere news aggregation.

The programme also benefits from being part of BBC’s broader news operation. When a major tech story breaks, Tech Now can leverage the expertise of political reporters, economic journalists, and international correspondents to provide comprehensive coverage that pure technology outlets often can’t match.

What This Means for Tech Companies

The launch of Tech Now also has implications for technology companies themselves. The programme’s global focus and emphasis on societal impact means companies can’t just focus on impressing Silicon Valley journalists anymore.

Tech companies are increasingly realizing that their biggest challenges aren’t technical – they’re social, political, and ethical. Issues like data privacy, algorithmic bias, content moderation, and the environmental impact of technology are becoming central to how the public evaluates tech companies.

A programme like Tech Now, with its focus on these broader implications, will likely influence how companies think about their public communications. The days of being able to ignore criticism by dismissing it as coming from people who “don’t understand technology” are ending. Companies need to be prepared to address legitimate concerns about their societal impact.

This shift is already evident in how major tech companies have reorganized their communications teams. They’re hiring more people with backgrounds in policy, ethics, and social sciences, not just engineering and marketing. They’re also investing more in research about the societal impact of their products.

The Future of Technology Journalism

Tech Now represents something that’s been missing from technology journalism for a while – a serious, sustained attempt to help general audiences understand not just what technology can do, but what it should do.

The programme arrives at a crucial moment. Artificial intelligence is reshaping entire industries. Climate change is driving massive technological innovation. Geopolitical tensions are fragmenting the global tech ecosystem. These aren’t just technology stories – they’re the defining stories of our time.

Traditional approaches to covering these issues have fallen short. Too often, technology journalism has focused on the technical details while ignoring the human implications, or it has focused on the business aspects while missing the broader societal context.

Tech Now’s approach combining technical expertise with global perspective and social awareness – could provide a model for how technology journalism evolves in the coming years. Other media organizations are likely watching closely to see how the programme performs.

The Lessons for Everyone Else

Even if you’re not particularly interested in technology journalism, the story of Click’s end and Tech Now’s beginning offers some important lessons about adaptation in a rapidly changing world.

First, it shows the importance of recognizing when something that used to work no longer does. Click was successful for two decades, but the BBC was willing to acknowledge that its format was no longer adequate for today’s technology landscape.

Second, it demonstrates the value of building on existing strengths while adapting to new realities. Tech Now isn’t starting from scratch – it’s leveraging BBC’s existing network of reporters and reputation for quality journalism while adopting a new format and focus.

Finally, it illustrates the importance of thinking globally from the start. Technology has always been global, but too much technology journalism has remained stubbornly local. Tech Now’s global approach from day one positions it to succeed in an interconnected world.

Insights

As Tech Now settles into its new role as BBC’s flagship technology programme, it will face several challenges. Maintaining quality while increasing frequency is always difficult. Balancing global coverage with local relevance will require careful editorial judgment. And competing for attention in an increasingly crowded media landscape is never easy.

But the programme also has significant advantages. BBC’s reputation for credible journalism gives it a foundation that newer media outlets lack. Its global reach means it can access stories and sources that others can’t. And its focus on the societal impact of technology addresses a genuine need in the current media landscape.

The success or failure of Tech Now will tell us a lot about the future of technology journalism. If it succeeds, we’ll likely see other major media organizations adopt similar approaches. If it struggles, it might signal that the challenges facing traditional media in the digital age are even more severe than we thought.

Either way, the end of Click and the beginning of Tech Now marks a significant moment in the evolution of how we talk about technology and its impact on our world. The conversation is just getting started.