News Broadcasting
BBC to launch news channel for Arabic region
MUMBAI: UK pubcaster the BBC will strengthen its multimedia news services for the Arab world by launching a TV news channel alongside its existing radio and online offer next week.
BBC Arabic Television – the BBC’s news and information channel in the Arabic language – launches on 11 March 2008. Initially broadcast for 12 hours a day, the television channel is part of the BBC’s integrated multimedia news service for the Arab world. It will move to 24/7 in the summer and is the BBC’s first publicly-funded international television service.
BBC Arabic is already available on air and on-demand 24 hours a day, seven days a week on radio, on the internet through bbcarabic.com, on mobiles and on handheld computers – in whatever way best suits the audience.
BBC Arabic Television will be freely available to everyone with a satellite or cable connection in the region, whether they are in North Africa, the Middle East or the Gulf. BBC Arabic Television will be distributed on the Arabsat, Eutelsat and Nilesat satellite systems.
The TV channel’s schedule includes news headlines every 15 minutes and a full news summary every 30 minutes. On-the-spot news coverage will be delivered by 250 correspondents reporting from 72 bureaux around the world – the biggest newsgathering team in the world. Additional regional expertise comes from an extensive network of local reporters and correspondents.
The channel also features news and current affairs programmes such as the twice-daily Newshour, which highlights news, analysis, key interviews and debate on the top events making the news in the region and around the world that day.
It also features the pioneering live multimedia interactive debating forum Nuqtat Hewar, already popular on radio and online, three days a week. A showcase of the best BBC documentaries and specially produced in-depth reports from the Arab world will reinforce the TV schedule. Its presenters will include Rania Al Alattar; Fida Bassil; Tony El-Khoury; Dalia Mohamed; Osman Ayfarah; Hasan Muawad; Lina Musharbash; and Dina Waqqaf.
BBC World Service director Nigel Chapman says, “BBC Arabic is renowned for broadcasting impartial and accurate news and information which is strong on analysis and expertise. This enhanced multimedia service meets the needs of an audience with a very strong appetite for news and debate. We will be contemporary in style and independent and incisive in our journalism.”
The TV channel launch will be accompanied by a major relaunch of bbcarabic.com to include embedded video and a new media player. The radio schedule has been extensively refreshed to reflect the new multimedia approach.
More than 13 million people currently listen to BBC Arabic every day, while its website bbcarabic.com receives more than 21 million page impressions and has over one million unique users each month. Chapman adds, “We are encouraged that independent research consistently shows an appetite for a BBC Arabic Television channel. The main reason people give is quite simple – it is because they believe the BBC will provide an independent news service they could trust.”
Independent research over recent years consistently shows that existing Arab audiences to the BBC regard it as the most trusted, impartial and objective international radio news provider in the Arab world, with an established reputation for quality. BBC Arabic’s award-winning 24/7 online news and information service also enjoys high levels of trust in its content.
BBC Arabic head Hosam El Sokkari says, “BBC Arabic is already renowned for reporting more than just conflict and politics. BBC Arabic aims to continue to broaden the news agenda for audiences in the region. It will reflect the breadth of the Arab audience’s interests.
“The BBC is the largest newsgathering organisation in the world. Only it can make the unique offer to Arab audiences. It can be their ears and eyes – not just in the countries where people live, but throughout the region and around the rest of the world.
“The BBC is uniquely experienced in bringing the key stories of the region and the world to Arab audiences. Because BBC World Service has a genuinely international perspective, it is also best placed to take the views, key issues and real lives of our Arab audiences to a wider global audience. No-one else has our multimedia strength on television, on radio, online and on any multimedia device people want their news delivered.
“We will offer comprehensive multimedia news reporting and analysis to audiences and, in turn, involve Arab audiences in an authentic dialogue on the issues that reflect their lives.”
News Broadcasting
WITT Summit 2026 concludes in New Delhi
Babar Azam’s comical diving attempt goes viral as league introduces anti-dew measures.
MUMBAI: The WITT Summit just wrapped up with enough big ideas to fill a policy playbook because when India’s leaders, thinkers and icons gather under one roof, even the conversations hit sixes. The eighth edition of TV9 Network’s flagship What India Thinks Today (WITT) Summit 2026 concluded on Saturday after two days of dynamic discussions at its New Delhi venue. India’s largest multi-domain public policy and culture summit brought together political leaders, policymakers, sports icons, artists and technology innovators to examine the forces shaping contemporary India and its global standing.
Prime minister Narendra Modi delivered the keynote address on the theme “India and the World” for the third consecutive year. In a wide-ranging speech, he addressed the ongoing conflict in West Asia, calling for restraint and compassion while highlighting India’s continued development trajectory despite global turmoil.
The summit featured candid conversations with state leaders. Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy articulated a people-first governance model and contrasted it with other development approaches. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav declared that Left-wing extremism had been effectively eliminated in his state and highlighted preparations for the upcoming Kumbh Mela. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann defended his government’s record, citing the closure of 19 toll plazas and creation of the Sadak Suraksha Force. Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar expressed confidence in Congress prospects in Assam and addressed recent allegations against him.
On geopolitics and national security, Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia outlined India’s ambition to become a builder of trusted digital infrastructure for the world, citing the rapid 5G rollout and village-level 4G connectivity.
Cricket received significant attention. Former India captain Sourav Ganguly praised player freedom and trust as hallmarks of great leadership and named MS Dhoni as the greatest captain due to his World Cup successes. India women’s team bowling coach Aavishkar Salvi credited the BCCI and Women’s Premier League for building a pipeline of world-class talent behind the team’s recent ODI World Cup triumph.
The summit also hosted the inaugural AI² Awards 2026, celebrating the convergence of human creativity and machine intelligence in storytelling and content creation. Poet and kathavachak Kumar Vishwas delivered a nuanced take on India’s concept of Dharma and criticised the recent arrest of an 80-year-old Shankaracharya. Veteran lyricist Sameer Anjaan and storyteller Neelesh Misra reflected on changing music trends and artistic responsibility in the wake of a recent controversy involving Nora Fatehi.
In a country where conversations often run as deep as the Ganges, the WITT Summit proved once again that when leaders, thinkers and storytellers come together, the real winner is public discourse lively, layered and refreshingly unafraid to tackle the big questions shaping India’s tomorrow.
