News Broadcasting
BBC Trust begins public value test into local video proposal
MUMBAI: The BBC Trust has started its public value test (PVT) of UK pubcaster the BBC’s local video proposal. The Trust has published BBC management’s application as well as supporting documents, a service description and a full timetable for the PVT.
BBC Trustee and Chair of the Trust’s Public Value and Fair Trading Committee Diane Coyle says, “Last year the Trust challenged BBC management to respond to licence fee payers wanting better local services. We wanted a proposal that would deliver public value with minimum adverse impact on local newspapers and other commercial media services.
“We have now received the management’s application and are publishing their plans today. BBC management’s proposal for a local video broadband offer to complement existing BBC Local websites supersedes previous plans for a local television service. BBC management believes the proposition will help the BBC meet its public purposes and close the gap between the importance that audiences attach to the BBC’s local role and their view of current performance.
“The Trust is inviting all interested parties to participate in our consultation on BBC management’s proposals. We want to receive all comments – positive and negative – from the public and the industry before we consider the application in detail. This input from people outside the BBC will be essential to the Trust reaching a decision in the interest of licence fee payers. Once we reach our initial conclusions, the Trust will consult again.”
The new Charter, which came into effect in January 2007, transferred to the Trust responsibilities previously held by the Secretary of State for deciding major service-related investment proposals. The Trust must carry out a transparent and systematic process of scrutiny and evaluation before reaching its final decision.
The public value test has three main parts:
Public value assessment (PVA) by the Trust Unit
Market impact assessment (MIA) by Ofcom
The Trust’s decision
The process includes two periods of public consultation. The first four-week consultation period allows contributions from interested parties about any relevant issue. A further period of consultation takes place after the Trust publishes its provisional conclusions. The Trust is scheduled to reach its provisional conclusion in November 2008 and its final decision in February 2009. Both will be published. This PVT is expected to complete within eight months, rather than the usual six, owing to the time needed to complete the more complex market impact assessment for this service.
Ofcom is beginning its four-week consultation prior to conducting its market impact assessment of BBC management’s proposals.
News Broadcasting
Rising Bharat Summit 2026 to spotlight India’s global rise
PM Modi keynotes two-day event on 27–28 February in New Delhi with ministers, diplomats and icons.
MUMBAI: India’s rise isn’t just making headlines, it’s headlining its own summit, and this time the guest list reads like a global power playlist. News18 Network will host the Rising Bharat Summit 2026, a high-powered thought-leadership forum anchored around the theme “Spotlighting Bharat’s Rise: Driven by Strength Within.” The two-day event kicks off on 27 February 2026 at 10:00 AM in New Delhi, bringing together policymakers, diplomats, business leaders, strategists, innovators, and cultural icons for conversations that aim to define India’s confident, self-assured role on the world stage.
Prime minister Narendra Modi will deliver the keynote address, setting the tone for discussions on economic momentum, geopolitical positioning, and long-term aspirations for the decade ahead.
The ministerial lineup includes Piyush Goyal (Commerce and Industry), Ashwini Vaishnaw (Railways, Information & Broadcasting, Electronics & IT), Jyotiraditya M. Scindia (Communications & Development of North Eastern Region), and Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta.
Global diplomacy and strategic voices feature former Singapore foreign minister George Yeo, ex-UK Chief of defence staff general Sir Nick Carter, former US commerce secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez, and ambassadors from Norway (May-Elin Stener), Germany (Philipp Ackermann), and Sweden (Jan Thesleff).
Industry, innovation, and economic perspectives come from veteran investor Ramesh Damani, World Gold Council CEO David Tait, Vianai Systems Founder & CEO Dr Vishal Sikka, and Deeptech Bharat Foundation co-founder Shashi Shekhar Vempati.
Defence, technology, and thought leadership include Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh, RSS Akhil Bharatiya Prachar Pramukh Sunil Ambekar, Apple expert Patrick McGee, military aviation historian Tom Cooper, and defence scholar Adrian Fontanellaz.
Culture, sports, and popular influence bring actor-MP Kangana Ranaut, Olympic medallists Saina Nehwal and PR Sreejesh, cricketers Mohammed Shami, Yuzvendra Chahal, and Mithali Raj, plus film stars Anil Kapoor and Yami Gautam.
Broadcast live across News18 Network channels, CNBC-TV18, CNBC Awaaz, and streaming platforms from 10:00 am on both days, the summit aims to move beyond headlines and shape deeper narratives around policy, leadership, and innovation at a decisive moment for India’s global trajectory.
In a world watching Bharat’s next moves, this gathering isn’t just talk, it’s the opening scene of a story that’s already rewriting the script.
