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BBC.com unveils culture section
MUMBAI: UK pubcaster the BBC‘s site BBC.com has launched BBC Culture, its fourth bespoke feature section and the first of two additions to the site this month.
BBC Culture is a fusion of videos and images coupled with editorial content from journalists and commentators, offering an alternative lens on global trends across the arts.
At launch BBC Culture will comprise nine columns including:
- The Reel World: BBC film reporter Tom Brook examines the latest trends on screen and in the movie industry such as ‘Hollywood seeks inspiration from the bible.‘
- The Measure: Maya Singer casts a fashion eye over the news and culture – and gives the insider‘s take when fashion is the story, asking questions such as ‘Can luxury fashion ever be punk?‘
- Counterpoint: Clemency Burton-Hill shares the biggest stories from the world of classical music including: ‘Philip Glass and Linz Opera: A classic combination.
BBC Culture will also include a section titled ‘Big In…‘ featuring relevant and topical cultural stories from around the world as reported by the BBC‘s network of correspondents, as well as linking to content from its sister sites BBC Travel and BBC Future and BBC Autos.
International users will be able to continue their journey and conversation with Culture Editors and other fans by the specially created Facebook and Twitter profiles.
This latest geature section is produced by the UK-based editorial team under editorial director Matthew Littleford with Matthew Anderson, taking on the role of editor.
Over the coming weeks BBC.com will bring users the fifth feature section BBC Capital focusing on personal wealth management, leadership and career and a new season on BBC Future ‘Building Tomorrow‘ which will kick-off with a commission from sci-fi author Bruce Sterling.
The launch of BBC Culture is supported by, Visa in the US, Amex in Canada and Vacheron Constantin in Europe; Middle East, Africa and the Asia Pacific. The sponsorship arrangement was facilitated by BBC Advertising, which sells advertising and sponsorship solutions on behalf of BBC World News and BBC.com.
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Inshorts Group chief Deepit Purkayastha joins IAB video council for Southeast Asia and India
The co-founder and chief executive of the short-form content platform has been inducted into the IAB SEA+India Video Council, giving India a stronger voice in shaping digital video frameworks
NOIDA: India has long been the world’s most chaotic, multilingual and mobile-first digital market. Now, one of its most prominent short-video executives is getting a seat at the table where the rules are written.
Deepit Purkayastha, co-founder and chief executive of Inshorts Group, has been selected as a member of the IAB SEA+India Video Council for 2026. Run by the Interactive Advertising Bureau, the council brings together senior leaders from Southeast Asia and India to shape standards, best practices and measurement frameworks for the fast-evolving video and digital advertising ecosystem.
The timing is pointed. According to the IAMAI-Kantar Internet in India Report 2025, over 588 million Indians are now consuming short-video content, with growth increasingly driven by rural and non-metro audiences. India’s active internet user base has crossed 950 million, with 57 per cent of users now coming from rural markets. Yet the frameworks that govern how video consumption is measured and monetised were largely designed for single-language, Western markets and have struggled to keep pace with the scale, diversity and complexity of India’s digital landscape.
Purkayastha is no stranger to these debates. He already serves on the AI Council at Marketing and Media Alliance India and as co-chair of the Digital Entertainment Committee at the Internet and Mobile Association of India. His induction into the IAB SEA+India Video Council extends that influence into the global video standards arena.
Inshorts Group sits squarely at the intersection of these forces. Its flagship product, Inshorts, India’s highest-rated short news app, reaches 12 million active users with 60-word news summaries. Its sister platform, Public App, reaches 80 million monthly active users across more than 700 districts and 12 languages, serving communities that most global platforms barely register.
Purkayastha said the opportunity was about building something more representative. “India today sits at the centre of the global video ecosystem, but the frameworks that define how value is created and measured have not always kept pace with the realities of our market,” he said. “Being part of the IAB SEA+India Video Council is an opportunity to contribute to a more representative and future-ready approach, one that accounts for diversity in language, context, and user intent.”
As a council member, Purkayastha will contribute to shaping regional standards across video advertising, measurement and platform governance, with a focus on frameworks that are native to India’s multilingual, mobile-first ecosystem rather than imported from global benchmarks designed elsewhere.
For years, India has been content to play by rules written for other markets. Purkayastha’s induction is a signal that it is done waiting to be consulted and ready to start writing them.
