News Broadcasting
BBC moving ahead with broadband plans in the UK
MUMBAI: In the UK the BBC has major plans up its sleeve as far as broadband is concerned. It will launch its major broadband-enabled public service initiative, the Creative Archive later in the year.
Speaking at a new media and broadcasting conference a few days ago BBC New Media and Technology director Ashley Highfield said, “A two-way broadband UK could mean a more creative, personalised, social and affluent Britain.” Highfield claimed that the BBC had a critical role to play in the growing broadband market, as it already had with the internet market and the free digital TV market. “I see the BBC’s online services having an increasingly important role to play in helping to create a 100 per cent connected, digital Britain.”
Outlining the kind of content and services he believes the BBC needs to offer internet users in the ‘on-demand’ world to drive broadband take up, Highfield cited the roll-out of the BBC’s broadband service from the Athens Olympics in August. This would be available on broadband for the first time.
As well as allowing users to choose from a wide selection of broadcasts, broadband technology will also enable them – at the same time as viewing – to play games, interact with other users and access facts and statistics. Highfield also suggested that the BBC’s role in creating a broadband UK should not just be about creating compelling content, but also about developing services that make a difference.
Talking about the Creative Archive he added, “This will give everyone in the UK the freedom to search for and access clips from the BBC’s television and radio archives via the BBC’s website. This scheme has the potential to lead in a number of different directions and is radical in the sense that it will be largely defined by the behaviour of the people accessing the initiative. This is the BBC taking an innovation risk, but a risk that will add to the creative capital of the UK as a whole. It’s all part of the BBC providing public access to its sound, television and film archives in a way that appeals to the new generation of media consumers.”
The first phase of the initiative will last a year and a half. It will focus on factual radio and television content like natural history footage. It will allowing non-commercial users free access to around 2,000 clips of up to three minutes long (100 hours of content).
People will be able to download clips free of charge from the BBC website, keep them forever, and manipulate and add to them. They will be able to pass clips on to one another and, at some point in the future, post user-generated material back on to the BBC’s website. A child might, for example, use a downloaded clip for a multi-media science project or an amateur DJ might mix a selection of BBC footage into a backdrop for a set.
For the initial phase the BBC will concentrate on fully owned material. At a later stage it will talk to independent producers and other rights holders for clearing the rights to other clips.
If the first phase is a success, the Creative Archive will be rolled out across all genres, considerably expanding the scale and range of content on offer. As the BBC learns more about how people are accessing and using the material, the Creative Archive will grow and develop in direct response to its users. The BBC issued a release stating that it would also work closely with others in the industry to share its experience and work with them to grow the quantity of audio visual material available in the public domain
News Broadcasting
Rising Bharat Summit 2026 spotlights India’s global ascent
PM Modi keynotes two-day event with ministers, diplomats and icons in New Delhi.
MUMBAI: India didn’t just host a summit, it threw a coming-out party for a nation ready to own the global stage. The News18 Rising Bharat Summit 2026, held on 27–28 February in New Delhi, emerged as a high-octane platform for ideas, vision and strategic dialogue, uniting national leadership, global policymakers, industry titans, defence strategists and cultural icons under the theme “Strength Within”.
Prime minister Narendra Modi set the tone with a keynote that framed India’s resurgence as a reclaiming of lost potential built over generations. “In previous industrial revolutions, India and the Global South were merely followers,” he said. “But in the era of Artificial Intelligence, India is a partner in decisions and shaping them.” He highlighted the country’s thriving AI startup ecosystem and the recent AI Impact Summit attended by over 100 nations.
Union minister Piyush Goyal (Commerce & Industry) stressed India’s readiness to scale exports and deepen manufacturing, while Ashwini Vaishnaw (Railways, I&B, Electronics & IT) positioned technology and infrastructure as twin engines of growth, especially in AI and digital trust. Jyotiraditya Scindia (Communications & North East Development) revealed India’s ambition to lead in 6G through the Bharat 6G Alliance and partnerships with over 30 countries.
Global voices added depth: former Singapore Foreign Minister George Yeo called India’s development “self-sustaining” and strategically vital; ex-UK Chief of Defence Staff General Sir Nick Carter asserted India deserves a seat at the great powers’ table; and former US Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez joined ambassadors from Norway, Germany and Sweden in discussions on geopolitical realignment, sustainability and defence preparedness.
Other speakers included veteran investor Ramesh Damani, World Gold Council CEO David Tait, Vianai Systems founder Dr Vishal Sikka, DeepTech Bharat Foundation co-founder Shashi Shekhar Vempati, defence experts Rajesh Kumar Singh, Sunil Ambekar, Patrick McGee, Tom Cooper and Adrian Fontanellaz, plus cultural and sporting icons Kangana Ranaut, Saina Nehwal, PR Sreejesh, Mohammed Shami, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mithali Raj, Anil Kapoor and Yami Gautam.
The summit was supported by Jio Financial Services (Presenting Partner), Phonepe and DS Group (Co-Presenting Partners), Pernod Ricard India and Kia Seltos (Powered By & Driven By), state governments of Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Uttarakhand (State Partners), and associate partners including NSE, M3M Foundation and Reliance Industries.
Broadcast live across News18 Network, CNBC-TV18 and CNBC Awaaz, the event reinforced India’s image as a confident democracy and emerging global power proving that when strength comes from within, the world can’t help but watch.
