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BBC Knowledge to launch ad sales in Asia
MUMBAI
Since BBC Knowledge launched in Asia in 2007, it has been ranked as one of viewers’ favourite factual channels and is carried by cable and satellite operators in Singapore, Indonesia, Hong Kong and South Korea. Outside Asia, BBC Knowledge has extended its reach to Poland, South Africa and Australia and Scandinavia. With the launch on 19 October, ads will be inserted in the channel. Sales will be managed by BBC Worldwide Asia’s advertising sales team based in Singapore, whose sales portfolio already includes BBC World News, BBC.com and BBC mobile. With the addition of BBC Knowledge, advertisers will be able to target professionals, managers, executives and business people, through a combination of traditional advertising spots and creative solutions tailored to the client’s needs. BBC Worldwide Channels Asia VP sales – Asia and Australasia Sunita Rajan said, “Viewers have responded really well to BBC Knowledge in the region. With its unique mix of premium factual entertainment from one of the world’s largest and most reputable documentary producers, the BBC, BBC Knowledge offers an attractive environment for advertisers to reach an upscale audience.” BBC Knowledge showcases BBC’s factual and documentary programmes. The channel, where facts are made fascinating and the truth is as entertaining as fiction, offers viewers five key programming strands: The World allows viewers to delve into new cultures and the world around them with entertaining adventurers and explorers; Science and Technology invites viewers to explore new frontiers, from space to motoring and everything in between; the People strand explores the fascinating aspects of the human body and mind; in The Past, witness historical events, places and people brought spectacularly to life; and the business strand explores what it takes to stay on top in today’s challenging business world. Viewers of BBC Knowledge can watch programmes like Top Gear, the Bafta and multi-NTA and Emmy Award-winning BBC motoring entertainment programme watched by over 150 million households in more than 100 countries. This month, viewers can also enjoy the channel premiere of Earth – The Power of the Planet, a comprehensive history of the life story of our planet, how it works, and what makes it so special. The series uses the latest in specialist imaging, and compelling narrative to give viewers a ringside seat to witness great natural events, including the inside of a hurricane, a lava dome growing inside a volcano, Antarctica without its ice, and ancient river beds in the Sahara desert. October will see BBC Knowledge premier The Story of India, which is an expedition with historian Michael Wood through today‘s India, looking to the present for clues to her past, and to the past for clues to her future. In addition, BBC Knowledge offers a business strand where viewers can find out what it takes to stay on top in today’s challenging business world. Series featured in this ‘On the Money’ strand on Monday nights include The Apprentice (UK), Dragon’s Den and Secret Millionaire. There is currently one pan-Asian feed for BBC Knowledge. In Singapore and Hong Kong, the channel is fully subtitled in Chinese. In Indonesia, it is subtitled in Bahasa Indonesia.
MAM
BLS International launches #VisaReady campaign to guide applicants
Initiative targets visa myths, delays and rejections with practical guidance
MUMBAI: Visa woes may soon meet their match because paperwork, it seems, is finally getting a user manual. BLS International has rolled out a new awareness drive, #VisaReadyWithBLSInternational, aimed at simplifying the often confusing visa application process and reducing delays caused by misinformation and incomplete documentation. The campaign, led across social media platforms, zeroes in on a long-standing pain point for travellers: lack of clarity around procedures, timelines and requirements. By offering step-by-step guidance, documentation checklists and clear Dos and Don’ts, the initiative attempts to turn what is typically a stressful process into a more predictable one.
At its core, the campaign also seeks to bust common myths that frequently derail applications issues that often lead to avoidable rejections or last-minute complications. The idea is to equip applicants with practical, actionable insights so they can plan better and submit stronger applications within expected timelines.
The push will not remain limited to digital channels. BLS International plans to extend the initiative across its Visa Application Centres globally, reinforcing awareness at key touchpoints where applicants engage with the process.
BLS International joint managing director Shikhar Aggarwal framed the campaign as more than a communication exercise, emphasising the company’s attempt to embed guidance and preparedness into every stage of the applicant journey.
Operating in over 70 countries and working with more than 46 client governments including embassies, consulates and diplomatic missions, the company has built a sizeable footprint in visa and consular services. With this campaign, it is now leaning into education as much as execution, signalling that in the world of visas, clarity might just be the new currency.
