News Broadcasting
BBC Worldwide returns record ?141m to BBC
MUMBAI: For the seventh successive year BBC Worldwide, the commercial consumer arm of the BBC, has increased its cash flow to the Corporation to supplement the licence fee income.
The figure of ?141 million for 2003/04 marks an increase of 14 per cent on the previous year’s ?123 million.
In spite of an extremely challenging and competitive environment, sales from continuing operations, including joint ventures, rose three per cent year-on-year from ?640 million in 2002/03 to ?657 million in 2003/04.
In addition BBC Worldwide’s profit, post exceptionals, rose to ?37 million from ?32 million in 2002/03. However due to the decline in the US dollar profit on continuing operations declined to ?37 million from ?44 million.
During the year, BBC Worldwide licensed more than 40,000 hours of programming around the world and grew its global network of TV channels to reach more than 340 million homes.
BBC Worldwide is responsible for around 50 per cent of the UK’s total television sales. Factual and drama television programming such as D-Day, Pompeii, Colosseum, Sea Monsters were among the top sellers to broadcasters around the world.
In addition, BBC Worldwide licensed the formats to hit shows such as Great Britons, The Weakest Link, What Not to Wear, Top Of The Pops and Top Gear to broadcasters in dozens of territories.
The joint venture channels BBC Canada and BBC Kids, with Alliance Atlantis, together reached more than 1.4 million subscribers last year. General entertainment channel BBC Prime increased its distribution to 14.6 million homes in Europe, Middle East and Africa and celebrated five years in Africa by posting a 65 per cent increase in ad revenue. BBC Food grew ad sales in Africa by 200 per cent.
BBC Magazines sold over 100 million copies of its titles during the year. It reaches almost one in five of all UK adults every month. In India it announced a joint venture with Bennett & Coleman the publisher of The Times of India. As per this the two parties are looking at coming out with titles for India.
BBC Worldwide CEO Rupert Gavin said, “These record results are remarkable in a period of global recession which has hit the TV and advertising markets hard. We have made our most significant contribution to BBC programming ever. The cash flow return of ?141 million means that we add nearly ?6 per year to the value of every licence fee in the UK.”
News Broadcasting
CNN-News18 to host Kolkata Town Hall on Hooghly River
‘Bhalobasa Bengal Inspiring Bharat’ event on April 20 brings cultural icons, trailblazing women and leaders aboard a cruise to celebrate Bengal’s enduring influence.
MUMBAI: Bengal is about to make fresh waves on the Hooghly and this time the current is pure conversation. CNN-News18 is taking its iconic Town Hall format to the waters of the iconic Hooghly River on 20 April 2026 with a special edition titled ‘Bhalobasa Bengal – Inspiring Bharat’. The floating event will celebrate the state’s rich cultural legacy and how its ideas, creativity and spirit continue to shape the rest of the country.
The unique riverside setting draws on Bengal’s history as a cradle of reform, art and intellectual thought. The speaker line-up mirrors that diversity: cultural heavyweights Mithun Chakraborty and Sreenanda Shankar will share the stage with trailblazing “Devis” such as Tanya Sanyal (India’s first woman firefighter in aviation), Ipsita Chakraborty (Kolkata’s first woman bartender) and Reshma Nilofer Visalakshi (Nari Shakti awardee and marine pilot). Music will flow through the celebrated pianist-vocalist duo Sourendro and Soumyojit, while public life and governance will be represented by Smriti Irani, Leander Paes, Saira Shah Halim, Keya Ghosh, Rekha Patra, Roopa Ganguly and Babul Supriyo.
CNN-News18, editorial affairs director, Rahul Shivshankar, said the event honours voices that carry Bengal’s legacy forward. Smriti Mehra, CEO – English & Business News, Network18, added that Bengal’s stories resonate far beyond its borders, especially as the state heads into polls.
From the first woman to battle flames in the skies to legendary actors who shaped Indian cinema, the gathering promises a rich mix of inspiration, courage and candid dialogue. In a city where culture has always flowed as freely as the river itself, CNN-News18 is turning the Hooghly into a floating forum for ideas that matter.
Tune in on 20 April on CNN-News18, CTV and YouTube to catch Bengal’s heartbeat in full flow.
