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Tag: BBC World News

  • BBC World News’ editorial reshuffle

    BBC World News’ editorial reshuffle

    MUMBAI: BBC World News today announced two major changes. While Yalda Hakim joins as the new face of its news programme Impact, BBC World News lead anchor Jon Sopel will be moving stateside as he becomes BBC North America editor.

     

    Hakim had joined the international news channel in January 2013 as the lead reporter on the Our World current affairs strand. Her reports from conflict zones such as Yemen, Iraq and Afghanistan have earned headlines around the world.

     

    She is known to have gained unprecedented access to Afghanistan’s Bagram jail just before 65 detainees controversially walked free and last October landed a scoop interview with President Hamid Karzai. She has interviewed survivors of the garment factory collapse in Bangladesh and investigated people-trafficking and torture in Yemen as well as America’s use of drones in the region.

     

    Born in Afghanistan, Hakim is an Australian. Among the many languages, she speaks Dari, Hindi and is learning Mandarin. And while looking forward to her new role, she is also keen to retain her ‘boots on the ground’ reputation. Hakim said, “I really believe the best way to tell a story is by being there and hearing from people first hand. I love being out in the field and I want to bring the Impact viewers with me. It’s a chance to show them more of the tales from behind the headlines. Plus I get to work with an absolutely fantastic team and help reinforce BBC World News’ position as the leader in global breaking news.”

     

    She added, “The timing of the show means we’ll be connecting with Asia and I am very excited to be given this opportunity to create an identity for Impact which excites this switched-on and news hungry audience. My background and experience mean I have a huge passion for stories coming out of this region and I am really looking forward to sharing this with our viewers around the globe.”

     

    Praising Hakim’s reporting, BBC World News head of news James Stephenson said, “I am delighted that Yalda has agreed to become the main presenter of Impact. She has made an enormous contribution to the channel since she joined last year with her investigative reporting from Bangladesh, Afghanistan and elsewhere. She will continue to combine that work in the field with her new role.”

     

    Meanwhile, BBC World News lead anchor Jon Sopel will be moving stateside as he becomes the BBC’s North American editor. While he will be stepping down as presenter of Global, viewers will still be able to see Sopel when he reports on America’s big stories for both the BBC domestic and international output.

     

    Thanking Sopel for his contribution to the channel Stephenson acknowledged the importance of the US market to BBC World News.

     

    He said, “Jon is an outstanding presenter and has played a major role in raising the profile of World News with his sharp journalism, tireless pursuit of big news-making interviews and evident sense of humour. He will be a big loss to Global, which he has presented since its launch. However, I am pleased that with World News now expanding rapidly in the US, Jon will continue to play an important part in the future success of the channel in a vitally important part of the world.”

     

    While looking forward to his new role Sopel said he was sad indeed to leave Global. He commented, “It is a huge honour to take on the role of North America editor. What is decided in Washington affects the whole world, and it will be a great challenge to report on the workings of the White House and Congress – and of course following the next presidential election. But it’s about bringing the whole of the US alive to our audience and I will relish travelling widely in this fascinating, complex and beautiful country. This was the only opportunity that could have pulled me away from presenting on BBC World News, of which I have nothing but fond memories.”

     

    World Service Group English controller Richard Porter said, “I’d like to thank Jon for playing such an important part in the re-launch of BBC World News from our new studios, and I’m delighted that he will continue his association with us in his new role in Washington. He and Yalda have been at the forefront of the changes which have been welcomed by viewers around the world. Yalda will be taking on a more prominent role as the main anchor of Impact, but she will still find time to continue her outstanding work as a film-maker and investigative journalist.”

  • New series of Horizons uncovers technology that could change the world

    New series of Horizons uncovers technology that could change the world

    MUMBAI: Presented by the award-winning business journalist Adam Shaw, Horizons continues its journey around the globe discovering the latest technologies and innovations that could revolutionize the way we live.

     

    From discarded mobile phones that could provide a reliable solution to illegal deforestation, lettuce leaves that could help fight polio, HIV and cholera and seaweed that can be turned into biofuel, this series will continue the search for the ideas and people tackling some of the big challenges facing our planet.

     

    Talking about the new series Adam said: “We’ve been travelling the globe for series 4 of Horizons and I’ve continuously been struck by the ingenuity of the people we met. Not just from those you’d expect, like scientists and academics, but ordinary people with brilliant ideas. And what’s most exciting is that these ideas have the potential to change millions of lives.”

     

    In the first episode of the series Adam travels to New York, London and the Netherlands to meet the innovators using ground-breaking ideas in light technology to illuminate lives all over the world.

     

    While the global lighting economy is worth more than 70 billion euros a year there remain more than a billion people who live without access to the electricity to generate light. In this programme Adam meets Jim Reeves, the inventor of a light that is powered purely by gravity, which is helping to bring light to homes in Africa and India.

     

    Adam then heads to New York to meet Jessica O. Matthews, the CEO of Uncharted Play, who whilst working near the bright artificial lights of Times Square, came up with a clever solution to create light for the developing world, without the need for electricity.

     

    Jessica has designed a football and a skipping rope that charge a battery as they are used which then enables a light to be plugged in.

     

    “By showing people what is possible with the power of play; we invite communities around the world to rethink the status quo in an accessible, tangible way. Innovation, science and play can be combined to improve the quality of life of people around the world,” says Jessica.

     

    Also in the programme, Adam meets the experts who have come up with exciting and ground breaking ways to harness the power of light. Adam discovers new developments in quantum dots and looks at the potential uses of this technology for lighting and the next generation of televisions.

     

    Finally Adam travels to the Netherlands to meet the Dutch innovator using light to benefit our surroundings. Daan Roosegarde has invented the Smart Highway which uses photo-luminescent paint to light roads at night and an environmentally friendly cycle path which lights up at night with Van Gogh inspired images.

     

    And for this series it will be even easier for audiences to keep up to date with Horizons, wherever they are, with the launch of the new Horizons app. The app will give audiences access to all the behind the scenes clips and video diaries from Adam and will provides users with a tailored experience with easy-to-find content based on location and theme, and the ability to favourite clips.  

    Richard Pattinson, Commissioning Editor, bbc.com said:  “With the BBC World News series about how science and technologies are transforming businesses and the way we live entering its fourth season, it seemed like the perfect occasion to bring all of our Horizons content together in an App, so our audience can enjoy video, blogs and infographics from the programmes wherever they are.”
     

    The Horizons app will be available to download on iOS and Android.

     

    Horizons Episode 1 ‘Let there be light’ will be broadcast on BBC World News on Saturday 10th May at 7.00am & 2.00pm and Sunday 11th May at 8.00pm.

     

  • Nik gowing to step down as daily BBC World News presenter

    Nik gowing to step down as daily BBC World News presenter

    MUMBAI: BBC World News presenter Nik Gowing is stepping back from his daily presenting role on the channel.   One of the main presenters on BBC World News since 1996, his roles over the past 18 years have included hosting NewsDesk, World News Today, The Hub and Dateline London.   He has presented live coverage on location on many occasions and led the team responsible for developing the highly successful World Debates.

     

    Nik Gowing said, “Like a few other colleagues back in the mid 90s, I took the professional risk of joining a fledgling channel with great global potential and ambitions. It was, though, one that the BBC took a long time to work out how to embrace both commercially and editorially. Now BBC World News is where I always visualised it would get to eventually. It is flying high as one of the ever more successful BBC global news platforms. I have chosen to step back with a great sense of having contributed to achieving so much. I have always been supported by many tremendous and committed colleagues over the 18 years. To them go my enormous thanks and appreciation. A presenter is, after all, the public face of a multi-talented, hard-working team both editorially and technically.”

     

    James Stephenson, Head of News for BBC World News, said, “Nik always recognised the potential for BBC World News to become a successful global channel and has played a key role in building its success. Since our move to New Broadcasting House he has brought his irrepressible energy to raising the quality of our morning output. We hugely appreciate his distinguished contribution to the channel both on and off air.”

     

    Peter Horrocks, Director, World Service Group, said, “Nik has been a mainstay of BBC World News for most of its existence. His gravitas, his energy and his unrivalled contacts book have been essential parts of the channel’s booming success. Nik will move on from daily presenting with the cheers of the audience and journalists of World News ringing in his ears as a mark of admiration for a man who has had a huge impact on the channel.”

     

    Nik will continue to work with BBC World News on an ad hoc basis after he steps down from daily presenting next month.

  • Global bbc.com figures and twitter shares hit record high

    Global bbc.com figures and twitter shares hit record high

    MUMBAI: The BBC today announced that bbc.com reached a record 96 million unique users and generated an all-time high of 1.3 billion page views in March 2014. BBC World News welcomed its five millionth Facebook fan and new figures also reveal that the BBC is by far the most-shared news brand on Twitter (source: Newswhip), with its stories shared a record 2.71 million times across the month – almost 50% more than any other publisher.  The driving factors were its coverage of major global news stories including the crisis in Ukraine and the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 and the increased popularity of bbc.com’s feature sections including BBC Future, BBC Travel and BBC Culture.

     

    The site, which offers up-to-the minute international and local  news and in-depth analysis, saw unique user figures up 26% on the monthly average of 76 million, whilst page views rocketed by 35%.  Over 34 million video views were seen during the month, with a record-breaking 11 million viewed via the bbc.com apps.

     

    James Montgomery, Director of Digital and Technology for bbc.com, said, “As the leader in global breaking news, our users rely on the BBC to provide impartial and accurate news on developing stories and significant global events, whatever their nature or location. We are incredibly proud that so many people chose us as their trusted source for news on the major stories that captivated the world last month.”

     

    March also marked a record month for traffic across the five feature sections of bbc.com – BBC Travel, BBC Future, BBC Autos, BBC Capital and BBC Culture which together attracted 7 million visitors and 63 million page views; resulting in a month-on-month increase of 42% and year-on-year growth of 106%.  Popular articles included: BBC Future’s  ‘The Future of Safe Sex’ which received over 269,000 page views, BBC Culture’s ‘Beyond Jodorowsky’s Dune: 10 Greatest Movies Never Made’ attracted  almost 3.2 million views across the month and BBC Travel’s game ‘Geoguesser’ ‘How Well Do You Know The World’ drew an impressive 270,000 unique users.

     

    Jonathan Fildes, Managing Editor, Features, BBC.com added,  “The feature sections offer users of the site an alternative and in-depth take on a variety of current and unusual topics complementing bbc.com’s news output.  We are delighted that these sections are growing in popularity and drawing record figures from fans of bbc.com.”

     

    Bbc.com has seen a rise in mobile usage of 88% year on year to 24 million browsers per month, whilst figures for desktop have remained stable at 56 million.

  • BBC using WhatsApp and WeChat at Indian elections

    BBC using WhatsApp and WeChat at Indian elections

    MUMBAI: The BBC is taking to instant messaging to hear what voters across India think as they go to the polls.  ‘BBC News India’ accounts are being launched today, on instant messaging platforms WhatsApp and WeChat giving Indian audiences of BBC World News, bbc.com and BBC World Service unprecedented coverage of the Indian election campaign.

     
    ‘BBC News India’ will receive user generated content directly from Indian voters whilst also distributing the best of BBC coverage of the election including videos, special graphics and interview clips. This will provide people with top analysis of the election and also go behind the headlines to tell the personal stories that reveal what’s really at stake.  

     
    On the launch of ‘BBC News India’ Trushar Barot, Assistant Editor for the Social Media Hub at BBC News, said: “Instant messaging apps have had phenomenal user growth in the past year. We know that hundreds of millions of people are using these platforms to stay connected, but increasingly also to share news stories, pictures and videos. This has been particularly evident with the Indian election campaign, so it’s the perfect news event to pilot our use of these apps. We’ll be using these accounts to encourage Indian voters – and those from around the world with an interest in Indian politics – to share their key issues, questions and experiences of the election campaign. We’ll also be sharing with them the best of our content from inside these platforms”.
     

    The launch of ‘BBC News India’ will complement a host of election dedicated content going out throughout April and May across BBC World News and BBC.com with the focus on providing audiences in India and around the world with top analysis and the latest developments as the campaign progresses. Access to news stories will now be made even easier for Indian audiences with the launch of the India edition of BBC.com on mobile. The edition will also give people access to news headlines from the BBC World Service’s Hindi and Tamil websites, bbchindi.com and bbctamil.com.

     
    And with social media increasing in popularity the BBC Trending team will also be reporting from India on what’s popular and why (@BBCtrending).

     
    Users can connect to the BBC News India WhatsApp account by sending a message to it after adding this number on their phone’s contacts: +919650801273

     
    Users can connect to BBC News India on WeChat by searching for the ID ‘BBCNewsIndia’ inside the app and clicking ‘Follow’.

     

  • BBC World News is all set for Women’s Day

    BBC World News is all set for Women’s Day

    MUMBAI: With just two weeks left for the International Women’s Day, it is just apt for TV channels to plan their shows around women. BBC World News is doing just that as it looks at two contrasting documentaries on women issues – Our World: India’s Invisible Women and Divine Woman.

     

    While the first one explores the idea of how in India unmarried women can find their freedom curtailed by moral judgement and stigma, the second is the journey of award winning historian Bettany Hughes across continents and back in time to trace the hidden and often controversial history of women in religion.

     

    In Our World: India’s Invisible Women, which is a part of the Freedom 2014 Season and a BBC World News documentary, Rupa Jha travels across the country to meet women who are single by choice or as a result of death or divorce and discovers some uncomfortable truths. The documentary will be aired on 8 March, 2014 at 5 pm and 9 March, 2014 at 11 pm.

     

    In her journey, Rupa meets a successful career woman in her 20s who is single by choice but is under social pressure to get married. She faces a lot of discrimination because of her choice to be single. While her parents respect her decision, they too feel pressured to help her find a husband. Rupa also meets a widow whose situation following the death of her husband is a familiar story in India, where widowed women are often seen as emotional and financial burdens on the family. Having suffered abuse at the hands of her married son she left her family and now lives in the Holy City of Vrindavan with some 15,000 other widows.  

     

    Another story that Rupa discovers is of a woman whose husband has abandoned her. She receives no financial support to care for their young son and would rather go back to her abusive husband than face the shame of divorce and single parenthood. Despite the fact that the number of divorce cases in India have trebled, there has been no increase in legal resources. Rupa talks to a female divorce lawyer who provides counselling sessions for divorced women, and believes that Indian society needs to change and stop stigmatising divorcees.

     

    In the second, which is a series of three episodes titled – When God was a Girl; Handmaids of the Gods and The War of the Words – Bettany Hughes uncovers few interesting facts about women. The series is scheduled on BBC World News from 15 March onwards on Saturday at 6.40 am and 8.40pm and Sunday 2.40 pm.

     

    In the first episode, she goes back to the beginning of time and visits the world’s oldest religious site to find startling evidence that women were part of the very birth of organised religion. She visits a world where goddesses ruled the heavens and earth and reveals why our ancestors thought of the divine as female.  Travelling across the Mediterranean and the Near East, Bettany goes to remote places, where she encounters fearsome goddesses who controlled life and death. She travels to modern-day India, where the goddess is still a powerful force for thousands of Hindus. Immersing herself in the excitement of the Durga Puja festival, Bettany experiences goddess worship first-hand, and finds out what the goddess means to her devotees.

     

    In the second episode, she goes into the hidden and controversial history of women’s place in religion as she uncovers the lost era of the priestess. She delves into the ancient Greek worship of the goddess of sex, Aphrodite, and finds out what this practice meant for women. Bettany also heads to ancient Rome, where the fate of the civilisation lay in the hands of six sacred virgins. Returning to the crucial early years of Christianity, she finds evidence that overturns centuries of Church teaching and challenges the belief that women should not be priests.

     

    The final episode shows her discovering how the period known as the Dark Ages was in fact a golden age for a few remarkable women. She finds that education and the written word became vital tools for these women and learns how their sheer brainpower put the female of the species back in the heart of religion. Bettany looks at Theodora, a prostitute turned empress, who allied herself with Mary the Mother of God to rule over a great Christian empire. Then, she looks at the legacy of the wives of the prophet Muhammad, including Khadija, the first convert to Islam and Aisha. Bettany also discovers the story of Wu Zetien – a courtesan who harnessed the power of a philosophy, Buddhism, to become the only woman to rule China as emperor. And finally, she explores the history of St. Hilda, a great educator and wise woman, who presided over the crucial conference, the Synod of Whitby, which decided when Christians in Britain celebrated Easter, and cemented the islands’ links with Rome and Europe.

  • BBC World News survey reveals impact of mobile advertising on affluent consumers

    BBC World News survey reveals impact of mobile advertising on affluent consumers

    MUMBAI: BBC World News and BBC.com/news have today released the results of a global study – the first of its kind – examining the usage of mobile devices by consumers around the world.

    The study surveyed 6,000 smartphone owners in Australia, Germany, Sweden, India, Hong Kong and the US. It compared the habits of affluent consumers – the highest 20% income earners in each country – to those of the general population.

    The results reveal the increasing importance of smartphones to affluent consumers and demonstrate the extent to which mobile devices are integrated into their personal and, crucially, their business lives, as improved technology enables greater engagement with content. The study also provides clear evidence that affluent consumers, who make up a large proportion of the BBC World News and BBC.com/newsaudience, are significantly more receptive to mobile advertising than the general population.  

     

    Key findings include:

    •51% of affluent consumers use their mobile phone for business, compared to 40% of the general population

    •39% of affluent consumers access the internet via their mobile devices at least once an hour, which is 18% higher than the general population

    •Affluent consumers are 18% more likely to share their location to get relevant services than the general population

    •Affluent consumers are more likely to prefer mobile devices to desktop for news-related content than the general population.  The contrast is particularly notable for current affairs or breaking news, where the figure is15% higher for affluent consumers than the general population, and business/finance news, where it is28% higher

    •News apps are the most commonly used mobile phone apps for affluent consumers, whilst social network apps are favoured by the general population

    •A third of affluent consumers agree that, if a brand wants to be modern and dynamic, it needs to be on mobile – 15% higher than the general population

    •Mobile advertising is twice as effective as the already proven advertising medium desktop in driving key brand metrics such as awareness, favourability and purchase intent amongst the total population. This figure rises to four times as effective for affluent consumers

    •High income earners are as positive towards advertising on mobile (19%) as desktop (18%). The percentage who are happy to see ads on mobile websites rises to 41% for sites where the content is free.

     

    India

    •55% of affluent Indian consumers access the internet hourly in India on mobile devices vs. 39% of total affluent consumers

    •Affluent Indian consumers are far more likely to use their phone for business (79%) vs. 51% for total affluent consumers

    •Over half of affluent consumers in India agree that their smartphone is the primary tool for organising their personal life

    •58% of affluent consumers in India agree that an increasing amount of their work is being accomplished on their mobile device (compared to 35% all affluent consumers)

    •56% of affluent consumers in India prefer to use their mobile device to access news, rather than using a desktop (30% for all affluent consumers)

    •52% of affluent consumers in India are more likely to share stories on mobile rather than desktop (compared 31% for all affluent consumers).

    •56% of affluent Indian consumers agreed that to be seen as modern and dynamic a brand needs to be on mobile (compared to 30% all affluent consumers).

    The survey emphasises the growing trend for news consumption on mobile platforms and reflects the results of the BBC’s 2012 study of news consumption -http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/worldnews/news-consumption.html- in which 59% of affluent consumers expected to consume more news on their phones over the next five years.
     

    When asked which single device they prefer to use for news, the number of affluent consumers who name the mobile phone has risen by 15% since 2012 and tablet is up by 9%.In contrast, the amount of people who say they prefer desktop has decreased by 17%.

    Additionally, 2012’s survey found that news consumption on mobiles was mainly restricted to scanning news headlines. In comparison, 34% of new handset users* surveyed in the new study say they now dive deeper when consuming news and are likely to read additional articles connected the original piece. This is 42% higher than for those using older handsets. Owners of the latest handsets are also 10% more likely than the general population to watch news video or stream content on their mobile phones.

    Jim Egan, CEO of BBC Global News Ltd said: “The rapidly growing importance of mobile to our global audiences is one of the big themes for our industry and we are constantly working to create the best mobile browsing experience, be that with the introduction of our international BBC News and Sports apps, or on-going responsive design innovations. This new research reveals significant change in mobile consumption – people are delving deeper into stories on their mobiles, consuming more video and, significantly, growing accustomed to advertising on their mobiles. This large study provides compelling evidence that mobile advertising works with affluent mobile consumers in particular and that has big implications for publishers and advertisers alike.”

    Notes to editors

    *New/latest handsets defined as those released since September 2012. The study was conducted by Millward Brown. BBC World News and bbc.com/news are owned and operated by BBC Global News Ltd, a member of the BBC’s commercial group of companies.

    BBC World News is available in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide, and over 360 million households and 1.8 million hotel rooms. The channel’s content is also available on 175 cruise ships, 53 airlines and 22 mobile phone networks. For further information on how to receive BBC World News, download schedules or find out more about the channel, visit bbc.com/tvschedule, bbc.com is one of the most respected brands on the internet and complements BBC World News in its offering of high quality, up-to-the minute international news, business, sports, weather, lifestyle, technology content and in-depth analysis. Launched in November 2007, the site attracts 58 million unique visitors each month.

    BBC Advertising sells advertising and sponsorship solutions on behalf of BBC World News and bbc.com. For more information on BBC Advertising see http://advertising.bbcworldwide.com.

     

    Click here for the full release

  • BBC has announced a season of hard-hitting investigative programmes – FREEDOM2014

    BBC has announced a season of hard-hitting investigative programmes – FREEDOM2014

    MUMBAI: The BBC announced Freedom2014, a season of hard-hitting investigative programmes from around the world asking what freedom looks like today. Launching on Saturday 25 January, the season will run on the BBC World Service in English and across the BBC’s language services, on BBC World News television, BBC News Channel and BBC.com, until April 2014.

     
    Peter Horrocks, Director of BBC Global News said: “The BBC is a champion of media freedom. The BBC has long been a symbol of freedom, as the sole provider of impartial and balanced news reporting in many countries.’

     
    “So I’m delighted to announce Global News’ Freedom2014 season, in which the BBC will explore what freedom means to people around the world.  We are uniquely placed to explore this theme, drawing on the expertise of our journalists around the world to give local knowledge and context to powerful investigative journalism.”

     

    Freedom2014 kicks off with the documentary Thailand’s Slave Fishermen on both radio and television (Saturday 25 January). Becky Palmstrom investigates the forced enslavement of Burmese and Cambodian men on Thai fishing boats.

     
    On Monday 27 January, BBC World News will be asking to what extent we can or should be free from government intrusion, as technological change makes every aspect of our lives easier to monitor and record. A day of programming on television and radio will look at how government intelligence agencies spy on their allies and millions of ordinary citizens around the world. The programmes will report on what individuals can do to keep their personal information secure.

     
    James Stephenson, Head of News at BBC World News said: “Edward Snowden revealed the extent of surveillance by the US National Security Agency. We will look at the implications for citizens around the world of an age of digital data and digital surveillance.”

     
    As part of the season, the BBC will be calling on its worldwide audience to submit theirownimages of freedom. Details on how to submit images can be found online at bbc.co.uk/freedom2014 from Wednesday 29th January.

                                           
    The first contributions come from a number of well-known global figures describing what freedom looks like to them in a collection of specially commissioned videos. These include Astronaut Cmdr Chris Hadfield; Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales; Anti-FGM campaigner Leyla Hussein; former hostage Norman Kember; Tourette’s ‘Superhero’ Jess Thom; and percussionist Dame Evelyn Glennie. They will launch online from 29 January.

     

    Over the coming months there will be a wide variety of programmes commissioned as part of the Freedom2014 season. They have been produced by journalists from across the World Service’s 27 Language services and include:

     
    ·Freedom Songs: A five part series looking at the ways in which singing is used around the world as an expression of freedom.  From Nina Simone’s ‘I wish I knew how it would feel to be free’ to the playlist of a teenager in Argentina during the military dictatorship, and the power of the human voice in South African protest and civil activism.

     

    ·China’s Global Popstars: Rebecca Kanthor reports on China’s efforts to groom a state-approved pop star for international stardom.

     

    ·Missing Histories, China and Japan: The historical record of Japan and China has always been a flashpoint for tension, but what do the younger generations make of this legacy? Japanese journalist Mariko Oi visits her counterpart in China, Haining Liu, and then Haining makes her first trip to Japan, hosted by Mariko.

     

    ·Freedom to be Single: Rupa Jha finds out first-hand about the discrimination faced by women – widowed, divorced, or single by choice in India.

     

    ·Guantanamo Voices: DawoodAzami goes to Pakistan, Afghanistan and Guantanamo to hear from former Guantanamo detainees about what freedom means to them. Dawood is the first Afghan journalist to visit and report from the controversial US military prison.

                                             

    ·China in Vogue: Jessie Levine looks at the rise in the magazine culture in China, its link to consumerism, and the changing face of Chinese fashion. She speaks to editors, photographers, designers and cultural commentators to find out how these new freedoms are affecting Chinese women.

                                              

    ·All That Stands in the Way: Despite most countries legislating against gender discrimination, around the world young women do not have the same opportunities as men. As father to two young daughters, BBC presenter Ros Atkins wants to know how they will be treated differently as they grow up simply because of their gender. Through personal and informal portraits of the lives of teenage girls in Iceland, London, Lesotho, and Oman, Ros will be asking what the entrenched social and cultural attitudes are that stand in the way of girls achieving equality.

  • BBC.com and BBC World News launch second series of Power of Nature

    BBC.com and BBC World News launch second series of Power of Nature

    MUMBAI: Starting 14th January, Power of Nature, sponsored by Nikon, returns to bbc.com and BBC World News for a new 10 part series revealing there’s more to the Earth’s great wild places than just their natural beauty.

     

    Using extraordinary HD imagery,the individualfour minute filmsfocus on a diverse range ofthe Earth’s most spectacular places and uncover the profound impact some of our planet’s animalshave on their habitats. From the gardener elephants of the tropical rainforests to the sea otters of the North Pacific, the series will include stunning natural imagery and will feature interviews with world renowned scientists and biologists who explain the importance of these complex ecosystems that allow our planet to thrive.

     

    Dr M Sanjayan, Lead Scientist with The Nature Conservancy and contributor for the Power of Nature series, said:“Viewers will see these animals and the worlds they inhabit in an entirely different way. They will learn how animals are critical actors, shaping the health and well-being of the human race.Putting these stories on bbc.com and BBC World News, underscores the importance of understanding these new, surprising facts about our world.”

     

    The Power of Nature series will be available as short films on 14th January at 3.30pm BBC World News and online at www.bbc.com/powerofnature.

     

    Further details about each short film include:

     

    ELEPHANTS: Mega-gardeners of the Forest
    The tropical rainforests of Africa and Asia play a crucial role in keeping our planet healthy.  In this film Lead Scientist with The Nature Conservancy, Dr M Sanjayan, Dr Valerie Kapos of the UN Environment Programme, and tropical field biologist and conservationist Dr Ian Redmond uncover the crucial role that forest elephants play in keeping these forests strong and resilient. 

     

    WOLVES: Forest Stewards
    After a seventy year absence, wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park in 1995. It was hoped they would protect the rising elk population – but they did much more than that. In this film Lead Scientist with The Nature Conservancy, Dr M Sanjayan, Dr Valerie Kapos of the UN Environment Programme and animal behaviourist Kirsty Peake describe the surprising effect the returning wolves have had – not just on their prey, but on the rivers, forests and even the landscape.

     

    WHALES: Gardeners of the Ocean
    Whales are among the biggest animals that have ever lived.  In this film Conservation Biologist Dr Joe Roman and Marine Scientist Stephanie Wear describe how whales restore valuable nutrients to surface waters, starting a chain reaction that stretches into the atmosphere and our lives.

     

    SEA OTTERS: Guardians of the Kelp
    The kelp forests fringing the North Pacific coast are one of the most bountiful marine ecosystems on Earth. One of the kelp’s most endearing denizens, the Sea Otter, is key to its success.  In this film, marine ecologist Professor James A Estes, cameraman Doug Allan, ecological economist PavanSukhdev, and lead scientist with the Nature Conservancy, Dr M Sanjayan reveal how sea otters eat sea urchins which would otherwise devour the kelp and disrupt the web of life that relies on it.

     

    SALMON:  Heart of the Forest
    The Great Bear Rainforest on Canada’s Pacific Coast is the largest temperate rainforest left on Earth. This forest owes its existence to an ocean-dweller – the Pacific Salmon. In this film ecological economist PavanSukhdev and Lead Scientist with The Nature Conservancy reveal the unlikely hero at the core of the success of these ancient woodlands.

     

    VULTURES: Earth’s Clean-up Crew
    Vultures soar above some of our planet’s most spectacular scenery – from the vast plains of Africa to the stunning Andes mountain range in South America. In this film Ecological Economist PavanSukhdev, Lead Scientist with The Nature Conservancy Dr M Sanjayan, Jemima Parry-Jones Director of the International Centre for Birds of Prey and Dr Ananya Mukherjee, Vulture Safe Zone Coordinator explain what happened when India’s vultures almost went extinct at the turn of the century.

     

    HIMALAYAS:  Water Tower of Asia
    The Himalayas are the greatest mountain range on Earth. In this film Environmental Economist, PavanSukhdev, wildlife cameraman, Doug Allan, and Ecological Economist, Dr Trista Patterson reveal not only the natural beauty and diversity of the Himalayas but also the hidden and essential contribution they make to life on the planet. 

     

    SAHARA: Life Giving Sands
    The Sahara is hot, barren and dusty. But hidden within the dust are minerals left from an earlier more fertile time. In this film Professor of Sedimentology at Birkbeck College, Charlie Bristow, Lead Scientist at The Nature Conservancy, Dr M Sanjayan and Environmental Economist, PavanSukhdev reveal the Saraha’s hidden ability to nourish ecosystems round the planet.

     

    SUNDARBANS: Nature’s Bioshield
    TheSundarbans is the largest mangrove forest in the world. Stretching along the coastline of India and Bangladesh, this delicately balanced ecosystem is the haunt of tigers. In this film Sustainability Advisor and Author, Tony Juniper, Environmental Economist, PavanSukhdev, and Lead Scientist with The Nature Conservancy, Dr M Sanjayan, reveal the wildlife this strange and magical forest supports. 

     

    CORAL REEFS: Underwater Pharmacy
    Coral reefs are one of the most bio-diverse habitats on the planet – a kaleidoscope of colour and life – a quarter of all marine species are found here. In this film Ecological Economist, Dr Trista Patterson, Lead Scientist with The Nature Conservancy, Dr M Sanjayan and Professor Callum Roberts, Marine Conservation Biologist, reveal the richness of life supported by Coral Reefs but also the contribution these colourful ecosystems are making to medical science. 

    The sponsorship arrangement was facilitated by BBC Advertising, which sells advertising and sponsorship solutions on behalf of BBC World News and bbc.com.

  • “There’s a lot of mileage in pay TV news”

    “There’s a lot of mileage in pay TV news”

    As the country sheds tears over  onion prices, cringes about the skyrocketing cost of LPG, cribs for a better system in place for tackling the ever-growing crime incidents and hopes for the 2014 general elections to change things, the news channels are gearing up to catch all the action live. 

    And when all the international and domestic news channels are at it, why should the Beeb – the world’s biggest pubcaster that reaches over 360 million households globally; 12 per cent of which are from India – miss a chance to report on the political battle of the world’s so-called largest democracy? 

    BBC Global News CEO Jim Egan, who was in Mumbai to launch its India Direct series, reveals that the channel is looking at grabbing more eyeballs during the election season. The channel plans to scale up the coverage on India in the coming months.

     
    And he gave some time to Indiantelevision.com’s Vishaka Chakrapani on the sidelines of the launch, to talk about the BBC World News’ India gameplan, its global digital push wherein it aims to melt the barriers between broadcast and online news. Egan emphasised that India is an important market for BBC in terms of pay TV and digital advertising. Excerpts from the interview:

    What is the benefit of investing in the news business in India?

    When I say investment I’m not talking about corporate investment, it’s about editorial investment. It’s been a good year for us in India. Digitisation has been broadly good for us and we are seeing our household penetration increase. 

    What is the growth in reach that you have experienced due to digitisation?

    It has grown steadily in single digit millions and has reached 30 million now, which means one in four homes. Digitisation is moving at a different pace in different parts of India. We would like to be bigger but we are addressing a relatively niche population in the English language and thus we are never going to be a mainstream news channel in the country.

     
    With so many international channels making a mark in India, how will BBC World News differentiate itself and stay on top?

    We are looking at doing product and editorial investments to the extent we can afford it. Other operators are well resourced such as CCTV in China is well financed, so is Al Jazeera. If we are going to get into a spending arms race, BBC won’t be able to get there. We will capitalise on our reputation and emphasise on being different. Being successful is not about spending a lot as some qualities cannot just be bought.

    Why has the industry been hit with a bout of layoffs happening across the world?

    The last five to 10 years have been very difficult for journalism. It’s coming to terms with internet and digitisation. In  print, it has been a very difficult time, but not so much in India. A lot of broadcast journalism has been buffeted by the internet, particularly in international news. You see lots of retrenchment and people closing bureaus. BBC is slightly different because we have both public and commercial funding that has helped us expand and maintain ourselves. We are swimming against the tide but we are doing it deliberately because we think having a well funded and well resourced international network of correspondents is what success is about.  

    What about the entry of many international news channels in the market? Could that also be a reason that’s leading to increased competition?

    There’s been a bit of fragmentation but I don’t see demand for news going down. Demand for news is going in different directions. But as long as you are prepared from the editorial and corporate points, there’s good business to be made. It’s just at slightly different places these days.  

    We would like to be bigger but we are addressing a relatively niche population in the English language and thus we are never going to be a mainstream news channel in the country…

    In the future, would having multilingual skills be an important criteria for journalists?

    That’s an interesting one. I don’t think we would hire someone just because they can speak many languages but the ability to broadcast and write digital content in those languages is something we are seeking to develop and nurture. We are going to have a dedicated Asian edition of our website with front page stories about India and China. There will be global programmes to improve the profile and output of bilingual journalists such as the ones in India. We are producing more relevant and easier to find content for our websites.  

    How important is India on a global scale for BBC World News?

    India has been and will be important for us. There is huge digital consumption that is growing in the mobile sector here. India is the fourth biggest market in terms of traffic, the first three being the US, Australia and Canada in that order. We need a big English speaking market to do well for us, and I’m leaving the UK out of this. One thing particularly exciting about India is that in the other markets digital penetration is nearing saturation point but in India there is a lot of room for growth in the mobile sector.

    In the recent years, the budget of BBC has been cut by 20 per cent. Does that affect the investment?

    The 20 per cent cut is due to TV licence fee being frozen for a period of five years, taking inflation into account. Internationally, we are funded through advertisements while domestically we are run by public money which is an involuntary payment of about $200 a year. We have the challenge and the freedom to earn commercial revenues. 

     
    Original content on mobile is what people seem to be asking for. Is that something you are looking to cash on?

    We are not doing that in mobile because on this platform the key for us is about following news from screen to screen. It’s about trying to make news consumption something that people can take with them with their screens and stay up to date on their mobile phones. That’s the editorial idea. The product idea is to get more video content on mobile. One line growing more steeply than mobile is ‘video on mobile’ as people’s devices become better, internet packs get cheaper and network availability becomes more reliable.  From the commercial point of view, it is working with the advertising community for digital. 

    How big is mobile advertising given that mobile marketing forms a relatively small part of the marketing budgets in India?

    I don’t think mobile marketing in India is necessarily small compared to other countries. In most countries, mobile advertising has lagged behind mobile consumption of media. That’s another area where you are seeing rapid change and the amount of money we are generating from mobile globally has come a long way in the last four months. India is one of the biggest growth markets for mobile apart from sub Saharan Africa where mobile device consumption is also increasing.

      
    Do you see threat from OTT in the country?

    When I’m in India I haven’t till date heard people worrying about OTT. TV adoption is still growing as well as pay TV penetration, although not so drastically. Too many people have written of TV news as something people want to consume and as well as pay for. But I think there’s quite a lot of mileage left in pay TV news.  

    How do you deal with carriage fees in the country?

    I’m glad to say we don’t pay for carriage but we rather earn from it. I wouldn’t say we haven’t had a problem with it but it’s been a business policy. We don’t think we should have to pay people to carry us. We are very proud of the quality of BBC World News. Our business policy is often questioned.

     When do we get to see BBC HD TV in India?

    One of the new features of the new office in London is its native HD transmission from glass to glass, ie camera to screen. In a number of markets in Asia we are introducing BBC World News in HD. We would love to launch in HD here but we don’t have any active discussions underway. The markets in the world where we are present in HD, like Singapore, have given us good feedback and we believe HD would be a good value addition to our distributors.

     

    We will capitalise on our reputation and emphasise on being different. Being successful is not about spending a lot as some qualities cannot just be bought…

     Looking at a possibility if FDI norms are eased in India, do you see a Hindi news channel from BBC?

    I don’t think we will set up a corporate vehicle here to be honest. We have a Hindi show called Global India on ETV so it is a content supply set of arrangement. We’d like to be bigger in Hindi and other languages but I don’t see us making a corporate investment in the Hindi news business.

    Do you see the possibility of a JV in India?

    We were examining a possibility of doing a JV in the Hindi language but it didn’t work out due to issues such as FDI regulations and MIB stipulation around editorial. The concept of editorial content is very hard to share.

    There is also a financial reason. We are not in a position to make capital investment into a JV that will be successful and have an impact in one of the world’s highly contested news landscape. We are never going to be better at covering Indian news than the Indian news providers themselves.

    We will cover Indian news to show them globally but not try to outdo the local competition. That is something that you cannot do because it is an extremely dangerous and expensive game. 

    Will we see BBC World News going regional?

    We always talk about relevance more than presence. Although we won’t be a part of the Indian domestic news landscape, we want to be relevant to audiences here. There are financial limitations to such a prospect too. We can’t tailor everything for 100 different markets around the world. So, instead we always think from our broadcast centres as to where is the peak audience at that point of time that will view the channel. 

    How many Indian advertisers do you have and how have they been doing lately?

    We have about 10-20 advertisers from India such as Karnataka tourism, Bharati Airtel, Micromax and airlines who want to reach an international audience through TV as well as online. Our Europe market was hit badly due to recession but Asia stayed better. However, this year has seen a slowdown from our Indian advertisers.