BBC staff create new company to broadcast Indian language services

Four BBC staff members are to leave the organisation and form a new entity in India which will provide audiences with services across the country, as commissioned by the BBC, in a move designed to accommodate Indian rules on foreign investment.

The new entity, Collective Newsroom Private Limited, will ensure that the BBC and Collective Newsroom can cover stories on India in compliance with the Indian Foreign Direct Investment law, the BBC said.

Collective Newsroom has been established as an Indian company, wholly owned by Indian citizens, with four existing staff members leaving the BBC to lead it.

The BBC will commission the new company to produce its six Indian language services as well as Indian digital output and Indian YouTube channel in English for audiences globally.

Rupa Jha, senior news editor, BBC India, and founding shareholder of Collective Newsroom, said: “Audiences in India can be assured that the BBC’s Indian language services and unique range of quality output will inform, educate and entertain audiences across our diverse and highly engaged country under the agreement between the BBC and Collective Newsroom. We launch Collective Newsroom with big ambitions for audiences in India and beyond.”

In addition to Jha, the staff members leaving the BBC to lead Collective Newsroom are Mukesh Sharma, Sanjoy Majumder and Sara Hassan

The BBC provides content in six Indian languages (BBC News Hindi, BBC News Marathi, BBC News Gujarati, BBC News Punjabi, BBC News Tamil, BBC News Telugu) as well as in English, to 82 million people around the country on average each week

BBC News Hindi is the BBC’s language service with the largest audience and in 2023, across all platforms, its weekly reach figure grew 27% year-on-year.

Jonathan Munro, Deputy CEO, BBC News said: “The BBC’s presence in India is steeped in a rich history that has always put audiences first, so we warmly welcome the formation of Collective Newsroom which continues that progression. The BBC will get first class content from Collective Newsroom that will be rooted in India and in line with the editorial standards audiences expect from the BBC. We look forward to working with them.”

Liliane Landor, senior controller, BBC News International Services, said: “Two of the BBC’s critical strengths are its truly global output for audiences and our reputation as a trusted source of news. We are deeply committed to excellence in journalism for and from India, and this agreement ensures the continued production of independent, international and impartial journalism that the BBC News brand is renowned for in India and around the world.”

Activity for BBC Monitoring and the BBC’s English language newsgathering operation for global output will remain with the BBC.