Mumbai: The third edition of BBC Indian Sportswoman of the Year award is returning with the nominations being announced on 8 February. The award commemorates the achievements and contributions of outstanding Indian women in sports.
Audiences will be able to vote for their favourite Indian sportswoman from the five nominees shortlisted by a jury of sports journalists, experts and sportswriters. The online voting will take place globally on BBC Indian languages websites and on BBC Sport and the winner will be announced on 7 March, said the statement.
BBC will honour two other Indian sports stars with the ‘BBC Emerging player award’ which recognises new talent, and the ‘BBC Lifetime Achievement’ award, which goes to a legendary sports personality who has contributed exceptionally to the field of Indian sports.
“The year 2022 is special not only because we will be launching the third edition of ISWOTY, but we are also celebrating 100 glorious years of the BBC,” said BBC News head of India Rupa Jha. “This award ties in so well with the true spirit of the BBC to celebrate the fearless and the courageous. Once again, we come together to honour those women who triumphed against all odds and made the world more equal and fair.”
Indian chess player and the winner of BBC ISWOTY 2020 Koneru Humpy expressed her delight on the return of the award and said, “BBC ISWOTY is a wonderful initiative that encourages the younger generation, and boosts women players’ recognition. As a chess player when I was nominated by the BBC ISWOTY, I received a lot of recognition from India and all over the world.”
Mumbai: Noted British journalist Deborah Turness was on Thursday appointed as the new CEO of BBC News and Current affairs. She takes over from Fran Unsworth, who had announced her decision to leave the corporation last year.
Prior to this, she held two positions in NBC News International where she was president of NBC News from 2013 to 2017, and later president of NBC News International. An editorial heavyweight, Turness became the first-ever woman to be the president of a network division in the US.
She has previously worked as editor of ITV News for almost a decade starting in 2004, which also made her the UK’s first female editor of the network news. In April 2021 she left her role at NBC and returned to THE ITN as CEO.
“There has never been a greater need for the BBC’s powerful brand of impartial, trusted journalism,” said Turness in a statement. “It is a great privilege to be asked to lead and grow BBC News at a time of accelerated digital growth and innovation when its content is reaching more global consumers on more platforms than ever before.”
Mumbai: India continues to be the biggest market among the BBC’s international audiences, with a weekly audience of 72 million adults, said the British broadcaster in its latest annual Global Audience Measure (GAM) report.
This includes BBC News’ Indian languages, BBC.com and BBC Studios’ international channels, and is an increase of nine million from last year (63m in 2020). The GAM report records the total weekly number of adults accessing the BBC around the world.
For 2020/21, the BBC achieved record figures globally with an average audience of 489 million adults every week, an increase of over 20 million from the previous year. This brings the BBC’s global audience close to the 500 million people target for 2022, it said in its report.
According to the report, BBC’s international news services also reached record levels with 456 million adults using them each week (an increase of 18m). This includes audiences for World Service languages, World Service English, World News TV, BBC.com and BBC Media Action.
BBC director-general Tim Davie said, the organisation is well on target to hit half a billion people by its centenary next year. “The fact that our audience has more than doubled in the last decade shows how trusted and increasingly valued BBC services are right around the world,” he said.
According to the report, the languages division drove the largest share of total BBC growth, up 20m. The language services now reach 313 million adults weekly. BBC News Hindi attracted an additional four million people. Both BBC News Gujarati and BBC News Punjabi service recorded a growth of more than 75 per cent, said the British broadcaster.
BBC Indian Languages head Rupa Jha said, BBC has continued to reach a wider audience in India. “This growth comes from the impartial, accurate and courageous journalism that is helping audiences better analyse and understand current events in a growing era of polarisation and global disinformation,” she added.
BBC Studios’ international channels reached 65 million adults, an increase of 16 million.
Mumbai: BBC News has launched a new ‘Disinformation Unit’ in India to uncover, analyse and report on the spread of fake news. According to a statement, a team of dedicated journalists will focus on highlighting false information, debunking viral social media content and investigating how and why it spreads. The team will provide audiences with useful tips and information on how to spot ‘fake news’ and prevent it from spreading further.
Audiences will also be able to report on any fake news they think should be investigated by messaging the BBC’s Disinformation Unit.
This newly launched unit in India is an extension of the BBC’s continued commitment to combat misinformation and is a part of the BBC Global Disinformation unit, which includes experienced journalists based in Africa and the UK.
“Disinformation is a global issue that disregards boundaries of languages, platforms, cultures, and age-groups. Unchecked news can affect health, society and democracy,” said BBC Disinformation editor Rebecca Skippage. “This new team of dedicated journalists will allow us to shine a light on misleading information and help people decide for themselves what to believe and what to mistrust.”
Simultaneously, a scheme called BBC Young Reporter India has rolled out ‘media awareness workshops’ in schools across India to help young people think critically about the media they consume, recognise facts from fake and pause before sharing potentially misleading and harmful information. The workshops are being delivered in partnership with Internews and DataLeads teams.
This initiative will deliver training to seven thousand students across hundred schools in India by the end of the year. Over five thousand have already attended the workshops in more than forty-five Indian cities, said the statement.
“The pandemic has shown the appalling damage that misinformation can cause. Fake cures, anti-vax messaging and conspiracy theories have been widely shared, often by people thinking they are doing the right thing as neighbours and friends,” stated BBC Beyond Fake News head Marie Helly. “It is imperative that the next generation become responsible citizens who understand the difference between fact and fake and can think critically about the media they consume.”
“Trust, accuracy and impartiality are at the heart of the BBC. I am delighted by the quality of the students and trainers who are working together with the BBC to counter the dangers of misinformation here in India,” Helly further said.
The workshops are building a network of young people who can spot disinformation using a BBC fact-checking technique called ‘Real’ and educating the students to think analytically like journalists.
“The workshop actually helped the students to navigate and take the right direction in the digital world. It has been a relevant training session to learn the skill of identifying the authenticity of the news which are at the fingertips of the students in the changed scenario,” commented SRS English Medium School (Brahmavar) Karnataka principal Abhilasha S.
“The BBC Young Reporter workshop has been immensely enlightening and enriching for the students. The webinar was impactful enough to generate awareness amongst the students to be discerning users of social media,” said Delhi Public School (Nazira) Assam headmistress Meenakshi Duarah. “The students were exposed to a lot of significant things to be kept in mind while using social media. Apart from the students, the teachers who attended the webinar also found it beneficial for the students.”
Mumbai: BBC Global News has announced the launch of a month-long multi-platform sponsorship campaign with Hyundai. The deal sees Hyundai become the exclusive sponsor of ‘Memories of the Future 2045’ – a series of six short films and a half hour documentary produced by BBC Studios,’ Science Unit – which will be broadcast on BBC World News – the BBC’s global television news channel, which is available in 450 million households across 200 countries and territories around the world.
It will be accompanied by six articles on BBC Future, which will also host the films. The deal reflects Hyundai and BBC Global News’ mutual desire to examine the issues facing the planet and showcase solutions from across the world, said the statement.
Narrated by Ivor Novello-winning and multi-million selling musical artist KT Tunstall, ‘Memories of the Future 2045’ deep dives into the hopeful solutions we need for a better, healthier planet. The programme features leading voices and experts on everything from the future of energy to housing, food to aviation and cities to fashion. The story is told as though it is already 2045 and radical changes have taken place. It includes a number of interviews with global sustainability leaders such as Danish inventor, Professor Henrik Stiesdal, who helped create the first offshore wind farm, climate scientist Angel Hsu, Professor Dilys Williams – founder of the Centre for Sustainable Fashion – and Professor Cheong Koon Hean from the Centre For Innovative Cities – the first women to head Singapore’s Urban Development Agency and the visionary behind the greening of Singapore.
In addition, BBC StoryWorks – the commercial content studio of BBC Global News – is creating a bespoke 30 second piece of commercial content to appear in ad breaks around the programme. The ad focuses on ‘generation one’ – children being born today who could be the first generation to benefit from a carbon neutral world. It features Hyundai Motor Group’s executive chair Euisun Chung speaking about his desire to create a more sustainable future for them.
Hyundai Motor Company executive vice president and global CMO Thomas Schemera said, “Collaborating with global media platforms like the BBC allows us to advance our Progress for Humanity vision and help further the collective understanding that we – people, brands and businesses – all have a responsibility to act.”
The deal also includes the renewal of Hyundai’s successful sponsorship of BBC Future Planet. Future Planet is the BBC’s home for in-depth, evidence-based stories on potential solutions addressing the pressing environmental challenges around the world. Launched last year in response to a growing audience interest in sustainability, Future Planet was the first major online publication with a sole focus on climate change that also aims to be as close to zero carbon as possible.
Under the banner of Our Planet Now, the BBC’s global services will deliver unrivalled and comprehensive coverage of COP26, as well as a wide range of programming throughout the autumn and winter exploring, in depth, the topics of environmental sustainability and the world’s changing climate. It includes reporting and analysis led by the BBC’s first ever climate editor Justin Rowlatt and science editor David Shukman as well as reporters on the ground across the globe, including West Africa correspondent Mayeni Jones, South Asia correspondent Rajini Vaidyanathan, and Australia correspondent Shaimaa Khalil.
BBC Global News EVP of international advertising sales Sean O’Hara stated, “We are delighted to continue building on our work with Hyundai through this global sponsorship campaign. With climate change currently at the top of the news agenda, this series, along with the BBC’s extensive range of coverage across its platforms, raises important issues which our global audience cares deeply about. It is a powerful examination of how innovation allows us to instigate meaningful change and protect our planet.”
MUMBAI: Consumers today expect brands to take responsibility towards following sustainable practices, while being more aware of their choices. And they expect action, not just empty promises on sustainability, according to a recent BBC Global News study which revealed that 80 per cent of consumers in the Asia Pacific region agree that demonstrating a commitment to sustainability adds value to the brand. But where do brands stand on sustainability today?
A virtual webinar – ‘Taking the Sustainability leap’ organised by BBC News in collaboration with Indiantelevision.com on Thursday gave some valuable insights into innovative and sustainable marketing practices adopted by some of the leading brands who have taken the sustainability plunge.
“The rise in global consumption levels over the last decades has been accompanied by a persistent increase in resource depletion and pollution, putting serious pressure on the environment well above its regenerative capacities,” said BBC Global News, SVP Commercial Development, Alistair McEwan as he initiated the discussion. “Without a significant change in current consumption and production patterns, the world will face strong environmental and economic costs such as those caused by projected climate change.”
The event that shared case studies from sustainability leaders across the globe kicked off with a panel discussion on ‘Leading with Innovation and Inspiration’ led by The R Collective founder and CEO Christina Dean, Climate Force founder Barney Swan, The Fabrick lab founder Elaine Yan Ling Ng, and Sophie’s BioNutrients co-founder and CEO Eugene Wang.
Other key speakers at the event included Maruti Suzuki India, assistant vice president-sustainability and carbon neutrality G P Chaddha, Godrej Group, head-environmental sustainability Ram Vaidyanathan, Tata Consultancy Services, head of sustainability marketing, Preeti Gandhi, Lenovo, head of communications, Asia Pacific, Geneviene Hilton, and Honasa Consumer Pvt Ltd (MamaEarth) vice-president marketing Sambit Dash. The discussion was moderated by BBC News senior journalist Devina Gupta.
Shooting down the notion that sustainability and business profitability cannot go hand-in-hand, Godrej Group’s Ram Vaidyanathan pointed out that companies with stronger sustainable principles and ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) practices have far out-performed the other companies on pure financial indicators as well. “80 per cent of sustainable initiatives are actually cost-saving, simply by being more efficient in the way we use resources,” he added, highlighting that from an investor’s perspective too it makes sense as strong ESG performance and processes are de-risking investments.
“The current situation in India is that we’re still trying to make companies ESG-compliant. There’s a bit of regulatory pressure too,” said Maruti Suzuki’s GP Chaddha, adding that while production came to a virtual standstill during the pandemic, sustainable practices helped the company to bounce back quicker than others.
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS)’s Preeti Gandhi talked about the low carbon emissions observed across the country and globally during the pandemic due to the prevalence of WFH and minimal commutes. “It is important for us to continue these reductions over the long term as we come back to work and return to normalcy,” she said, citing some of the efficiency measures the company has implemented over this period such including the hybrid working initiatives like ‘25 by 25’ wherein only 25 per cent of its employees will commute to work by the year 2025. “This would hopefully ensure that we continue to see the environmental resilience to continue, even post-pandemic.”
Lenovo’s Geneviene Hilton underlined the fact that sustainability needs to be ingrained into the entire business from the start, for it to be truly effective. “Consumers today are also keen to know about the environmental, social, and governance measures that companies undertake,” she said.
Taking the belief of embedding environmental sustainability into the business’ foundation, Mamaearth’s Sambit Dash talked about the PETA-certified brand’s vision about being a purpose-led brand wanting to make a good impact on the environment as well as society. “We recycled more plastic than we produced from the beginning. Therefore, at a time when other brands are trying to be ‘plastic neutral,’ we have been ‘plastic positive’ right from the start,” shared Dash.
GP Chadhha referred to Maruti’s tagline of “Petrol khatam hi nahi hota” as evidence of its fuel-efficient cars. “There’s a need to increase incentivisation for brands and customers to start moving in the sustainable and carbon-neutral direction,” he said.
According to Godrej’s Ram Vaidyanathan, the Customer is the biggest stakeholder when it comes to deciding the kind of products that any company makes, so that’s a big driver when it comes to sustainable products. He believes packaging should be the biggest area where those companies must focus on to create maximum impact.
Gandhi also threw light on the role of media in championing the cause of sustainable consumerism and de-mystifying the eco-labels. “When it came to creating systems and platforms for eco-friendly collaborations, it must be led by the policy thinkers and changemakers across the board towards specific goals in driving sustainable development for all,” she noted.
The event also saw BBC Future Planet editor Martha Henriques shedding some light on how BBC is doing its part of the sustainability of the planet. BBC Future Planet is the first major online publication launched in 2020, with a sole focus on climate change that also aims to be as close to zero carbon as possible. BBC StoryWorks APAC director Nicola Eliot discussed how brands are partnering with the BBC to tell their stories on forging an effective sustainability journey.
Mumbai: Netflix and the BBC have entered a partnership to develop and fund new, ambitious dramas featuring disabled creatives both in front of and behind the camera.
Building on the existing commitments of both the BBC and Netflix, the five-year partnership has been designed to increase the representation of disabled talent both on-screen and off-screen, to widen the range of stories produced and give disabled writers and creatives greater choice when it comes to the sort of stories they wish to tell.
The partnership will consider projects from the UK producers that have been created or co-created by writers who identify as deaf, disabled and/or neurodivergent. All projects are to be created or co-created by such writers. Pitches can draw imaginatively on any genre, precinct or world.
“We are looking for ideas which feel ambitious and elevated and which challenge the limits that the industry might unconsciously put on disability. The intention of the partnership is to firmly place the shows alongside our most talked about and original dramas already being developed,” announced the post on Netflix Newsroom.
All projects will be assessed and developed jointly, but the BBC will be the point of entry for submissions and pitches for the initiative. The BBC and Netflix will issue a creative brief and outline of the process which will be made available to all producers, alongside a webinar.
“Deaf, disabled and neurodivergent creators are some of the least well-represented groups on television in the UK. Put simply, we want to change that fact,” added Netflix VP – series, UK, Anne Mensah. “Together with the BBC, we hope to help these creators to tell the biggest and boldest stories and speak to the broadest possible British and Global audience. It’s been hugely exciting to develop this project with Piers Wenger and the BBC Drama team and we are incredibly passionate about the creative possibilities of this partnership.”
Speaking on the association, BBC director of drama, Piers Wenger said, “Jack’s powerful, memorable MacTaggart has shone a revealing light onto the extent of the challenges faced by disabled creatives. We recognise the need for change and we hope that in coming together the BBC and Netflix have created a funding model which will help level the playing field for deaf, disabled and neurodivergent creators in the UK.”
Mumbai: South Korean automotive major The Hyundai Motor Company will be the exclusive sponsor of BBC Future Planet throughout the month of August. With the sponsorship, the carmaker aims to reach global audiences looking to create a more sustainable world. Launched in February 2020, BBC Future Planet is an online publication with a sole focus on climate change.
As part of the sponsorship, BBC StoryWorks – the commercial content studio of BBC Global News – created a documentary-style film highlighting Hyundai’s partnership with the ocean conservation organisation, Healthy Seas, to combat ocean pollution, nurture sustainable marine ecosystems, and support a circular economy. The film tells the story of how an abandoned fish farm on the coast of Greek island, Ithaca, has now become the solution to Hyundai’s sustainable car interiors.
Hyundai Motor – Europe, president and CEO, Michael Cole said that beyond providing zero-emission mobility solutions on land, the company also cares about protecting fragile ecosystems at sea and that is why they have partnered with Healthy Seas throughout this project. “With the BBC we were able to win an important partner to tell our story. Together, we have successfully overcome the tremendous logistical challenges to make this vision become a reality,” Cole added.
As cleaning up and preventing marine pollution aligns with Hyundai’s global strategy, the branded content was produced sustainably, by driving electrified vehicles from London to Greece instead of flying, choosing to consume vegan meals, and using solar power to charge equipment, the company said in a statement.
“Sustainable brands looking to communicate their green practices have long been commercial partners of BBC Global News due to our relevant and engaging content, our global and affluent audience, and our own commitment to being carbon neutral,” said BBC Global News, EVP of international ad sales, Sean O’Hara. “Since the launch of BBC Future Planet, we have consistently offered audiences immersive, solutions-based content, and traffic to the site has increased exponentially over the past 12 months. We’re pleased brands like Hyundai want to be part of this success; to stay top-of-mind, and for the BBC’s expert storytellers to help them engage with audiences through creative and emotive brand campaigns.”
BBC Global News, acting regional director of ad sales – Europe and Eurasia, Sibel Boner added, “We are excited to enter this commercial partnership with Hyundai, to communicate their story around the Healthy Seas project, a reflection of the trust and expertise the BBC has in producing immersive, engaging content that reaches global audiences.”
New Delhi: The Sunday-night high-octane clash between Italy and England in UEFA Euro 2020 was watched by over 31 million viewers in the United Kingdom, setting a record for the highest viewership ratings in British broadcasting history.
According to the BARB figures shared by overnights. tv, an average of 29.85 million watched the entire match which was broadcast on both BBC and ITV. The viewership peaked at 30.95 million during the extra time, when both the teams were trying hard to up their score from 1-1 at London’s Wembley Stadium.
The game went down to the wire and ended with England facing a painful penalty shootout exit, dashing hopes of millions of English fans who were hoping to see the trophy come home for the first time since 1966. However, Italy reigned over the game and clinched the trophy continuing its 34-match winning streak in the game.
According to BBC, the combined viewership on both BBC One and ITV made the final match one of the biggest TV events in the UK since the funeral of princess Diana in 1997.
Goodness me. 25 million of you elected to watch the game with us on @BBCOne last night…as well as just under 6 million on @BBCiPlayer. Astounding numbers. Thanks for choosing us.
In Italy, the game was broadcast on Radiotelevisione italiana (Rai), the national public broadcasting company of Italy. According to Rai, throughout the match an average of 18 million people tuned in, representing a 73.7 per cent market share, reported Variety.
In India, the official broadcaster Sony Pictures Sports Network (SPSN) made the most of the football fever that has swept the country over the last few weeks. While the latest viewership numbers are yet to come in, the previous data showed that the 19 June match between Portugal vs Germany was among the most-watched matches in the tournament. The defending champion Portugal led by Cristiano Ronaldo was defeated by 4-2 in the match in the group stage.
Mumbai: BBC’s Indian language service has announced the second season of “Humari Purakhin” (English: Our Ancestors), the exclusive show, featuring eight Indian female pioneers from marginalised and indigenous communities.
The second season of eight episodes will be available in text and video with two new stories every Thursday and Friday over the next few weeks releasing on: BBC Hindi, BBC Gujarati, BBC Marathi, BBC Punjabi, BBC Tamil, BBC Telugu, and on social platforms. The show will also be available on BBC News, BBC Duniya (on NDTV), BBC Marathi, and BBC Telugu (on Jio).
This new season is a tribute to the trailblazing women reformists who fought for women’s rights and liberation.
Speaking about the show, BBC head of Indian languages, Rupa Jha said, “The contribution of women in building a nation that is free from socio-cultural oppression and bringing the much-needed reforms has not been given as much space. Each story is truly a tribute to those trailblazing women reformists who came from underprivileged communities of different parts/tribes of India and were warriors in all senses fighting for women’s rights and liberation.”
Shooting down the notion that sustainability and business profitability cannot go hand-in-hand, Godrej Group’s Ram Vaidyanathan pointed out that companies with stronger sustainable principles and ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) practices have far out-performed the other companies on pure financial indicators as well. “80 per cent of sustainable initiatives are actually cost-saving, simply by being more efficient in the way we use resources,” he added, highlighting that from an investor’s perspective too it makes sense as strong ESG performance and processes are de-risking investments.
