MxMIndia

Tag: BBC Global News

  • The pre-school channel from BBC Studios returns to India

    CBeebies plays peekaboo. Is back in India

    By A Correspondent

     

    BBC Studios has announced the re-launch of its popular children’s channel, CBeebies, in India. The channel is available across leading multi-system operators in the country including Tata Sky (DTH & Mobile) Sun DTH, IMCL, Fastway, and Kal Cables amongst others.

     

    CBeebies is a dedicated pre-school channel (for kids age six years and under) offering 100% ad-free content (C is for children and BBC is popular called Beeb, hence CBeebies). The programme schedule for India will include popular like Hey Duggee, Go Jetters, Sarah and Duck, Thomas & Friends and Teletubbies.

     

    Said Ryan Shiotani, SVP and GM, South and South East Asia, BBC Studios: “CBeebies is trusted by parents internationally and we are thrilled to bring this dedicated pre-school channel back to India. We are passionate about nourishing little minds and having a positive impact on their intellectual, social and emotional development. We are proud of the diverse and inclusive nature of CBeebies content, and our young audience love being able to see themselves reflected in our content, and engage with their favourite award-winning characters.”

     

    BBC Global News in India will be marketing and distributing the CBeebies channel. Added Rahul Sood, Managing Director, India, BBC Global News: “We are extremely pleased to have relaunched CBeebies in India, especially at a time when there has been a massive increase in viewership in the genre and in overall screen time by kids. We’re sure that CBeebies will provide kids and their parents a safe environment that offers a unique combination of learning with entertainment. At BBC audiences are always at the heart of everything we do and we are committed to bring quality content to our viewers no matter what the challenges are.

     

    Our only concern: Other than the OTT boom, how has the business environment changed for the channel from November 2012 when it was pulled out? And second, we do hope that there were thousands of tinytots – if not lakhs or crores – who were mighty upset when they didn’t find their favourite channel on the tube. So, this time, no peekaboo and hide-and-seek, puhleez!

     

     

  • More than 300 associates from media agencies and brands will play five-a-side matches

    BBC World News announces fifth Football Connect Tournament

    By A Correspondent

     

    BBC World News Football Connect will bring together more than 300 associates from media agencies and brands to play five-a-side matches and compete for the trophy.

     

    Said Vishal Bhatnagar, Sales Director, South Asia, at BBC Global News: “We can’t wait to dig out our football boots and get back on the pitch for BBC World News Football Connect 2019. This initiative has gone from strength to strength since it was first launched five years ago, and we remain as committed as ever to engaging the Mumbai media community and showcasing our excellent sports coverage and other offerings across BBC World News, BBC.com, mobile app and other platforms. We know that there is a huge potential market in India, with BBC News now available in nine languages across the country, we are delighted to see growth as we are reaching new audiences,”

     

     

  • When Arnab Goswami of Times Now became a subject of debate in the session titled 'The Big Fight for Primetime'…

    #FF14 Day 2: Traditional or sensationalism – what works more for primetime?

    By A Correspondent

     

    The tone for the session was already set by the speaker from the earlier session, who was invited to make a keynote address to the audience on Day 2 of FICCI Frames 2014. Having shared with the audience his secrets to being a popular anchor on news television, Arnab Goswami of Times Now became a subject of debate in the next session titled ‘The Big Fight for Primetime’.

     

    The panelists included Ashok Venkataramani, CEO, MCCS India; Dr Bhaskar Das, CEO, ZEE Media; Vishnu Som, Editor & Sr Anchor, NDTV and Jon Sopel, Senior Anchor, BBC Global News who moderated the session.

     

    Sounding put off by the adulation that his friend and former colleague had received at an earlier session, Vishnu Som was critical as he said that what sells in news journalism today is an element of sensationalisation or entertainment. “The job of any news journalist is to provide news, not infotainment or entertainment. I find Arnab’s Goswami’s style of reporting a bit more dramatic or aggressive if you may call it. Personally, what matters for me is providing content that is high on quality. In that sense, the old style of journalism is much better and remains desirable even today.”

     

    Bhaskar Das highlighted how it was essential to have content that was centered around the interest levels of the viewers. Ultimately, he opined, if you manage to provide good content that will result in better viewership which will translate to better revenues for the channel at large. “It is essential that news broadcasters figure out what is the primetime for the viewer and work towards providing content accordingly.”

     

    On a question on the high number of news channels in operation today, Ashok Venkataramani said that there were too many channels existing in the marketplace which was not feasible. “There are too many news channels operating today and beyond the top 3 players, others will continue to face survival challenges. That is possible by having a sound business model with renewed focus on content.” Mr Venkatramani went on to add that the best way to see that people do not chase TRPs is to stop giving them TRPs. He asserted that it was important to build brands that stayed loyal to their core objective and accordingly, give them enough space to grow.

     

    Taking a hard jibe on the regulators, Vishnu Som was quite vocal when he said that one of biggest problems arising out of the ongoing primetime battle is due to a flawed measurement system. “I find the ratings system to be highly flawed as it is based on limited number of meters installed at homes. In fact, an internal study undertaken by us show NDTV as the clear No 1 in primetime but that is not the case with the current measurement system.” Adding further Som said that news channels today were relying only on advertisers for making money and therefore when the numbers were not right it was causing a dent on the revenue making model for channels.

     

    Pointing again to antics followed on rival channel Times Now, Som said that the primetime in India is majorly between 7-11pm and people have realised that all it takes to get numbers is get in people to talk. “Talking is a cheap exercise as there are no costs involved in getting panelists to speak on air for free, but it results in certain channels getting undue favour from advertisers while those offering quality content don’t get the desired returns. All this needs to change.”

     

    Bhaskar Das opined that the challenge for news channels will be to get the youth hooked on to the content especially since many new platforms were evolving that were offering similar content. But the good thing is that digital is still evolving as a medium and there is still about 3-5 years for television to make changes if it had to stay relevant in the future as well, he remarked.

     

  • The BBC has announced the appointment of Preet Dhupar as Chief Operating Officer for the Indian operations of BBC Global News Ltd

    BBC Global News appoints Preet Dhupar as COO, India

    By A Correspondent

     

    The BBC has announced the appointment of Preet Dhupar as Chief Operating Officer for the Indian operations of BBC Global News Ltd, the company which comprises the BBC’s commercial news operations, BBC World News and BBC.com/news.

     

    The role was created in India in order to ensure an integrated and consistent focus on its English language news interests during a period of rapid change and growth in the Indian media sector. In addition to her existing remit Ms Dhupar will take responsibility for determining the BBC’s commercial priorities and targets for news across India and for monitoring performance against them in terms of advertising revenues, content distribution and overall audience growth.

     

    Jim Egan, COO of BBC Global News Ltd, said “This appointment comes at a crucial time for BBC Global News Limited in India as we build on recent successes and seek to expand onto new and evolving platforms. Preet will bring increased focus to the market, helping to support our ambition of bringing world class international journalism to dynamic and sophisticated Indian audiences.”

     

    A chartered accountant by qualification, Ms Dhupar joined the BBC in 2000 and was instrumental in setting up operations in India. Most recently the Director of Finance and Operations for BBC Global News Ltd and BBC Worldwide in India, she has been responsible for providing operational leadership and management of the BBC’s commercial businesses in India and Singapore. While supporting growth opportunities in the market, her core role has been to provide financial, commercial and regulatory expertise to the business. Prior to this, she was part of the BBC’s global finance team based in London.

     

    Before joining the BBC she worked with Becton Dickinson India in a strategy and financial planning role as part of the team that established the company’s business in India. She has also worked for Caltex and KPMG in India.