IN Mumbai signs pact to air BBC World content in Mumbai

Mumbai:

The content is made up of such popular programmes as Wheels, Talking Movies and India Business Report, which currently air on BBC World across Asia. As of 2 December 2002 these programmes will be available to IN Mumbai cable subscribers as part of their weekly schedule.

Commenting on the new distribution agreement, IN Network Entertainment CEO R C Khanduri says: “The agreement is of strategic importance and comes at a time when channels are anxious to reach larger audiences and at the same time to bring new and varied content to viewing audiences. The large subscriber base of IN Mumbai will mean a wider audience for BBC World programmes and we look forward to developing this association further.“

Says BBC World director of airtime sales Jonathan Howlett: “This new agreement marks a further step in the development of BBC World in India and builds on the existing partnership, which BBC World Service radio has with INCableNet to provide BBC radio programmes 24 hours a day via InCableNet in Mumbai. We are proud of the popularity of these programmes and I am delighted that more people than ever in Mumbai will be able to enjoy them on a regular basis.“

BBC World is the BBC's 24-hour international news and information television channel received in over 232 million households (96 million 24-hour homes) and over 850,000 hotel rooms worldwide. Launched in its current format in 1995 it is a fully commercial channel funded by advertising and subscription.

IN Mumbai, Mumbai's leading news and events channel, currently telecasts news in five languages English, Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati and Urdu on a daily basis under the brand name IN Time. IN Mumbai has been consistently forging ahead in both channel share and viewer time spent. For its morning news bulletin it has higher TVRs than several other broadcasters. Similarly the recently launched Charcha programme has got ratings higher than other satellite news channels.

Wheels is the popular weekly automobile show on BBC World for all car and bike enthusiasts. Presenter Niret Alva and his team bring viewers the latest and the best from the automobile industry, reviewing both cars and bikes before they hit the Indian market giving an unbiased review of the vehicles by treating the research and presentation with journalistic objectivity.

Talking Movies is a film review and magazine show made for BBC World. Every week, presenter Tom Brook and his team track the latest Hollywood releases in a mixture of reviews, in-depth interviews, movie news, features on trends and behind the scene reports with the hottest starts from Hollywood and New York.

India Business Report shows all that is worth knowing in the world of business and finance. India's leading business programme, presented by Manvi Sinha, brings you the week's economic news from across India. India Business Report features weekly reports and analysis on key economic developments from all parts of the country, the latest news and views on Indian business and interviews with leading personalities from the world of finance and industry.