News Broadcasting
BBC Worldwide ties up with Pearson Education for new entity
MUMBAI: BBC Worldwide Ltd and education company Pearson Education have formed a partnership to publish BBC-branded educational products and services under a new imprint called BBC Active.
The partnership will be co-owned by Pearson Education and BBC Worldwide, with BBC Worldwide holding a minority stake, and will sit alongside Pearson’s existing educational publishing businesses. BBC Worldwide will transfer its academic, consumer and English Language Teaching learning businesses to the new partnership, which will provide learning resources for both children and adults at school, college, university and at home in the UK under the BBC Active imprint.
Key existing products and services include:
Foreign language publishing, including Talk, French Experience and Quickstart.
Revision guide and study aid publishing, including Bitesize, ReviseWise, and Ten Minute Top Ups.
Adult personal development, parenting and business books, including Little Angels.
Educational publishing resources to support BBC television and radio programming for schools and Higher and Further Education. Major brands include Barnaby Bear and Magic Grandad (for the primary school market).
The partnership will be granted a first option to license relevant learning market rights in all new BBC properties to which BBC Worldwide has the relevant rights. The new partnership will work within BBC editorial and commercial policy guidelines to ensure that appropriate controls are maintained over BBC intellectual property.
The partnership combines BBC Worldwide’s strengths in intellectual property management and media-based publishing with Pearson Education’s heritage and publishing expertise, global sales and distribution capability, enabling the strategic expansion of BBC brands across the international learning market.
Pearson Education’s president of higher education, schools and professional Rod Bristow said, “Pearson Education and BBC Worldwide are natural partners in educational publishing. The BBC’s intellectual property, expertise with the moving image and its future programming output present us with a wonderful opportunity in a world where teachers are looking for innovative and interactive ways of delivering education. With our publishing expertise and scale, this is a powerful combination. We are looking forward to growing this business together.”
BBC Worldwide’s MD for home entertainment and learning Chris Weller said, “We are excited about this new partnership. The combination of our skills and intellectual property with Pearson Education’s publishing strengths and distribution scale will enable the business to develop and grow in the UK as well as internationally.”
This is the second business venture between a Pearson company and BBC Worldwide. On 30 April 2004, the Penguin Group and BBC Worldwide formed a new venture into which BBC Worldwide transferred its Children’s Books business, BBC Children’s Books, which comprises some of the world’s leading character properties, including Teletubbies, Tweenies, Fimbles and Bob the Builder. The venture allows them to be brought alongside Penguin’s existing children’s publishing portfolio, which includes Spot, Peter Rabbit, Ladybird books and Puffin.
News Broadcasting
Induction cooktop demand spikes 30× amid LPG supply concerns
Supply worries linked to West Asia tensions push households and restaurants to turn to electric cooking alternatives
MUMBAI: As geopolitical tensions in West Asia ripple through global energy supply chains, the familiar blue flame in Indian kitchens is facing an unexpected challenger: electricity.
What began as concerns over the availability of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) has quickly evolved into a technology-driven shift in cooking habits. Households across India are increasingly turning to induction cooktops and other electric appliances, initially as a backup but now, for many, a necessity.
A sudden surge in demand
Recent data from quick-commerce and grocery platform BigBasket highlights the scale of the shift. According to Seshu Kumar Tirumala, the company’s chief buying and merchandising officer, demand for induction cooktops has risen dramatically.
“Induction cooktops have seen a significant surge in demand, recording a fivefold jump on 10 March and a thirtyfold spike on 11 March,” Tirumala said.
The increase stands out sharply when compared with broader kitchen appliance trends. Most appliance categories are growing within 10 per cent of their typical demand levels, while induction cooktops have witnessed explosive growth as households rush to secure an alternative cooking option.
Major e-commerce platforms including Amazon and Flipkart have reported rising searches and orders for induction stoves. Quick-commerce apps such as Blinkit and Zepto have also witnessed stock shortages in major metropolitan areas including Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru.
What was once considered a convenient appliance for hostels, small kitchens or occasional use has suddenly become an essential addition in many homes.
A crisis thousands of miles away
The trigger for this shift lies far beyond India’s kitchens.
Escalating conflict in the Middle East has disrupted shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical energy corridors. Nearly 85 to 90 per cent of India’s LPG imports pass through this narrow waterway, making the country particularly vulnerable to supply disruptions.
The ripple effects have been swift.
India currently meets roughly 60 per cent of its LPG demand through imports, and tightening global supply has already begun to affect domestic availability and prices.
Earlier this month, the price of domestic LPG cylinders increased by Rs 60, while commercial cylinders rose by more than Rs 114.
To discourage panic buying and hoarding, the government has also extended the mandatory waiting period between domestic refill bookings from 21 days to 25 days.
Restaurants feel the pressure
The strain is not limited to households. Restaurants, hotels and roadside eateries are also grappling with supply constraints as commercial LPG availability tightens under restrictions imposed through the Essential Commodities Act.
In cities such as Bengaluru and Chennai, restaurant associations report that commercial LPG availability has dropped by as much as 75 per cent, forcing many establishments to rethink their kitchen operations.
Some restaurants have reduced menu offerings, while others are rapidly installing high-efficiency induction systems, creating hybrid kitchens where electricity now shares the workload with gas.
For smaller eateries and roadside dhabas, the shift is less about sustainability and more about survival.
A potential structural shift
The government has maintained that there is no nationwide LPG crisis and has directed refineries to increase production to stabilise supply.
Nevertheless, the developments of March 2026 may already be triggering a longer-term behavioural shift.
For decades, LPG has been the backbone of cooking in Indian households. However, recent disruptions have highlighted the risks of relying on a single fuel source.
Increasingly, households appear to be hedging against uncertainty by adopting electric cooking options to guard against price volatility and delivery delays.
If the current trend continues, the induction cooktop, once viewed as a niche appliance, could emerge as a quiet symbol of India’s evolving kitchen economy.
