BBC Hindi launches Global India on ETV

BBC World Service and ETV Network have announced the launch of the BBC Hindi TV programme, Global India, on five channels of ETV, India's leading regional network across the country's Hindi-speaking states.

From Friday 2 November, the BBC's brand-new TV programme in Hindi will air weekly at prime time on ETV Bihar / Jharkhand, ETV Uttar Pradesh / Uttrakhand, ETV Rajasthan, ETV Madhya Pradesh / Chhattisgarh and ETV Urdu.

With BBC Hindi's Rupa Jha as its lead presenter, Global India is a weekly 30-minute magazine-style show which brings alive the best of the BBC journalism from across the world, focusing on news and

developments that resonate with the Indian audience. Ranging from hard news to human-interest stories, culture and technology, the show aims to connect with millions of Hindi-speaking audiences through the expansive reach of ETV channels.

ETV Network, a leader in India's Hindi regional belt, especially with channels across ETV HSM as well as ETV Urdu, has been reaching out to viewers from urban to semi-urban and rural areas. Being an essential part of the viewer's daily TV experience, the network will form the perfect partner for BBC Hindi to engage with a much larger audience base in India.

Rupa Jha says: "I am thrilled to front our new TV programme. Showcasing the best of BBC journalism, Global India will deliver original BBC stories as they are lived by our journalists across the world. After years of being part of the BBC Hindi radio and online team, I am really looking forward to the excitement of connecting with our audiences on TV."

BBC Hindi has been a household name in India, known and respected for its objective and comprehensive reporting – on radio, online and via mobile phones. Commenting on the service's move to TV broadcasting, BBC World Service Head of Journalism, Nikki Clarke, says: "This is a great development for the BBC in India, showing our commitment to our Hindi-speaking audiences. With this expansion on television, BBC Hindi builds on the strength of the BBC as a news brand in India. The editorial thrust of Global India reflects the strong interest in stories from around the world that are important for India and are brought alive by the BBC's world-renowned newsgathering operation.''

BBC World Service Head of Business Development - Asia Pacific, Indu Shekhar Sinha, adds: "There have been huge changes in the way Hindi-speaking audiences consume our content, and as we work to adjust our distribution footprint to better serve them, the launch of Global India signals the fact that BBC Hindi is expanding in India's media market. We are excited to be partnering with the ETV network to bring this dynamic new programme to millions of viewers."

Commenting on the partnership with BBC Hindi, a spokesperson from ETV Network says: "ETV is an integral part of the regional audiences across the country, providing them with rich infotainment across languages. For years, ETV HSM channels and ETV Urdu have penetrated across the length and breadth of the country to provide a perfect blend of reach and viewers' loyalty. Global India, created by BBC Hindi, will be a unique proposition for viewers of the ETV network across India, as it will share new, fresh and relevant content, further strengthening our commitment as a responsible news brand in the country. The content we offer through our range of channels is extremely attractive and relevant to our audiences. The ETV news bureau provides fast and reliable news to its viewers, and with BBC Hindi bringing in their international expertise through Global India, it will add further variety to the existing content of ETV. This new programme will also give our viewers an opportunity to meet Indians spread across the world."

Global India will be broadcast every Friday on five channels of the ETV network at 8pm on ETV Bihar / Jharkhand and ETV Uttar Pradesh / Uttrakhand; and at 6pm on ETV Rajasthan, ETV Madhya Pradesh / Chhattisgarh and ETV Urdu. It will be repeated on Saturdays at 8.30pm on ETV Urdu, and at 9.30pm on all the other channels. It will be repeated on Sundays at 11.30am in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar at 9.30am in Rajasthan and at 1pm on ETV Urdu.

 

(BBC Press Release)