The BBC is moving its commercial Internet operations into a new £240 million sterling joint venture with United States venture capital firm TH Lee Global Internet Managers (THLi).

BBC Worldwide, the commercial arm of the publicly-funded British broadcaster, said in a statement the new entity would be made up of beeb.com, the online shopping guide, and beeb.net, the Internet service provider.

TH Lee will take a 13.5 per cent stake in the new operation, beeb Ventures, for £32.5 million which will be used to develop the services.

"The deal comes at a time of exceptional market opportunity, due to a forecast of explosive growth in UK e-commerce," Mr Rupert Gavin, chief executive of BBC Worldwide, said.

"THLi's investment and expertise, together with the strength of the BBC brand, gives beeb.com and beeb.net a major strategic advantage in a rapidly growing marketplace."

Analysts said the background to the move could be criticism that the BBC is expanding its digital TV and online operations, which reach only a minority of the population, from the television licence fee.

The new venture might create a clearer distinction between licence-fee funded BBC Online and the commercially run beeb.com and beeb.net.

The BBC has a very successful brand on the Internet and the joint venture exploit that commercially.