News Broadcasting
BBC unveils future plans for its New Media unit
MUMBAI: BBC New Media in the UK has announced how it proposes to reallocate investment from its current online budget to help fund new broadband and innovative projects that support the BBC’s public values.
To achieve the 10 per cent growth target set by the board of governors, the BBC will to employ a range of solutions, including the closure of some sites, the reduction of investment and increased focus in others, as well as make savings through operational efficiencies.
The BBC has set itself the target of saving £6 milion on its new media unit. This will be made by the end of the financial year 2005/06 and will be reinvested in new media projects more closely aligned to the purposes of the BBC as set out in Building Public Value. BBC director of new media and technology Ashley Highfield said, “This is all about focussing our investment so that we can best use our funding to reach and delight the largest audiences with the most distinctive and original content.
“It is about preparing ourselves for the broadband world. In order to free up the required funding we need to behave like Television and Radio. In other words, decommission, reduce funding or archive web content that no longer needs this level of investment or which may have become amply supplied by the market.
It is an ongoing process for bbc.co.uk. These changes build on the first steps we took in July to close those websites which we felt did not offer sufficient distinctive public value for the investment required.
“The savings we made in July represented 2.5 per cent of our web output. To meet the 10 per cent target set out by the BBC Governors, we are announcing a further 7.5 per cent reduction to be achieved through lowering investment in areas where we feel this will not cause a reduction in public value, and by sharing resources with the commercial world.”
The US Sports section of bbc.co.uk/sport and the local history site, bbc.co.uk/legacies, will close down because of similarities with the existing market and insufficient value for money, respectively. Funding for bbc.co.uk/cult will be reduced, with the exception of the Doctor Who section, to support the forthcoming series on BBC Oe. bbc.co.uk/lifestyle will continue to operate, but with a more modest investment.
News Broadcasting
India Today Group sweeps top honours at Ramnath Goenka Awards
Journalists recognised for fearless investigative and civic reporting.
MUMBAI: India Today Group just turned the Ramnath Goenka Awards into its own trophy cabinet because when your reporters dig this deep, even the judges have to award a clean sweep. India Today Group journalists have secured multiple top honours at the latest edition of the prestigious Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards, reinforcing the network’s legacy as the gold standard of Indian journalism. The awards were conferred by vice president C. P. Radhakrishnan at a ceremony held on 27 March 2026.
Sreya Chatterjee won in the ‘Investigative Reporting – Broadcast’ category for her powerful India Today TV report ‘Operation Illegals: The Alarming Rise in Bangladeshi Infiltration Across India’s Fragile Eastern Frontier’. The investigation stood out for its depth, on-ground rigour and national relevance.
In the ‘Civic Journalism – Print/Digital’ category, Sreya Chatterjee along with Arvind Ojha were honoured for their indiatoday.in report on unregulated water extraction and the ‘Tanker Mafia’ in Delhi’s Bawana Industrial Area. The story exposed critical systemic gaps and environmental challenges affecting daily life.
Additionally, aajtak.in was recognised in the ‘Investigative Reporting – Print/Digital’ category for its hard-hitting exposé ‘The Surrogate Mother Market’, which highlighted the human, legal and ethical dimensions of the surrogacy ecosystem.
India Today Group emerged as the only network honoured in Investigative Journalism across both Print/Digital and Broadcast categories. The wins reflect the strength of its multi-platform newsroom and its unwavering commitment to credible, high-impact reporting that informs public discourse and drives accountability.
In an era when speed often trumps substance, these awards remind us that the most powerful stories are still the ones dug out with courage, told with clarity, and delivered with conscience, one fearless byline at a time.
