The BBC World Service is to receive an extra £2.2 million ($3.5 million Cdn) annually from the British government so it can maintain its Arabic service.

The funding, provided over the next three years, is a response to the Arab Spring — the pro-democracy movements that have arisen in Egypt, Tunisia, Syria and other Arabic countries.

"It is right that we should look at ways in which we can assist the BBC Arabic service to continue their valuable work in the region," British Foreign Secretary William Hague said in a prepared statement Wednesday announcing the funding.

"We recognize that the world has changed since the settlement [for the BBC] was announced in October last year," he said.

The government cut 16 per cent of the annual $430-million budget of the BBC World Service in its spending review last year.

'We've seen demonstrators in Syria carrying banners saying 'Thank you BBC.''—World Service director Peter Horrocks

The Arab Spring happened just a few months later and British MPs of all political stripes questioned the cuts, in light of apparent evidence the World Service was having an impact.

Peter Horrocks, director of the BBC World Service, welcomed the announcement that funding for the Arabic service would be maintained at its current level.

"It's particularly important and welcome for the BBC Arabic service. It's played a really important role in covering the Arab Spring. For instance, we've seen demonstrators in Syria carrying banners saying 'Thank you BBC,'" he said.

BBC World Service director Peter Horrocks said the Arabic service played a role in the Arab Spring. Kirsty Wigglesworth/Associated Press

"We were facing a reduction in the schedule and cutting back on our news gathering in the Arabic service and we will be able to alter those plans and maintain the Arabic service."

The BBC, which has run the World Service in conjunction with Britain's Foreign Service, has said it will restructure the service so it can continue the Somali radio service and the Hindi language service on short wave.

The public broadcaster announced in January it would close five of its 32 World Service language services and scale back programming in seven other languages.

The BBC is expected to take over the full cost of running the World Service in 2014, under Britain's current round of austerity measures.

BBC Trust chairman Chris Patten has said the Arabic, Hindi and Somali services are "core" to the broadcasting operation.

Wednesday's announcement initially appeared on a government website under the headline "Massive U-turn on BBC World Service funding."

It was quickly changed. The Foreign Office says an employee is being disciplined.

With files from The Associated Press