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BBC to expand digital radio coverage in the UK
MUMBAI: More than a million additional listeners will soon be able to receive BBC national digital radio services in the UK following further expansion of the digital radio transmission network.
The BBC is investing in a further 60 digital radio transmitters as part of its commitment to reach 90 per cent of the British population during the Charter period, by the end of 2011. This is the final part of a planned roll-out which started in 2008 and has already resulted in more than 50 additional transmitters being added to the network. The BBC‘s national digital radio coverage currently stands at around 86 per cent of the UK population. There are now more than 10 million DAB sets in the UK (GFK).
Listeners in the areas will be able to tune in to the BBC‘s portfolio of digital-only stations through its Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB) as well as the BBC‘s existing national radio stations.
Transmitters will be added to bring coverage to areas without reception and to improve and reinforce reception where necessary. The plan includes 15 new transmitters for Scotland, 10 new transmitters for Wales, seven new transmitters for Northern Ireland, three new transmitters for Greater London and the Home Counties, and nine new transmitters for the south west.
BBC‘s Director of Audio and Music Tim Davie says, “The BBC is fully committed to digital radio. I‘m delighted that we are now in a position to deliver on the BBC Trust‘s target to bring digital radio to 90% of the UK.”
The BBC has five digital-only radio networks, all launched in 2002: 1Xtra offering black music, 5 Live Sports Extra which covers live sport, 6 Music offers contemporary and classic rock and pop, Radio 7 offers the best of BBC comedy, drama and books from the archive, and Asian Network which offers news and music from the British Asian scene.
Listeners can also receive Radios 1 to 5 Live on DAB, along with more than 30 of the BBC‘s English local radio and nations services.
Digital radio can transmit text and data with the audio signal. A small screen on digital radios carries rolling text telling listeners what music they are listening to, who is being interviewed, and giving phone numbers and e-mail and website addresses.
Digital radios are available from over 8,000 retail outlets across the UK and can also be bought on the internet.
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Inshorts Group chief Deepit Purkayastha joins IAB video council for Southeast Asia and India
The co-founder and chief executive of the short-form content platform has been inducted into the IAB SEA+India Video Council, giving India a stronger voice in shaping digital video frameworks
NOIDA: India has long been the world’s most chaotic, multilingual and mobile-first digital market. Now, one of its most prominent short-video executives is getting a seat at the table where the rules are written.
Deepit Purkayastha, co-founder and chief executive of Inshorts Group, has been selected as a member of the IAB SEA+India Video Council for 2026. Run by the Interactive Advertising Bureau, the council brings together senior leaders from Southeast Asia and India to shape standards, best practices and measurement frameworks for the fast-evolving video and digital advertising ecosystem.
The timing is pointed. According to the IAMAI-Kantar Internet in India Report 2025, over 588 million Indians are now consuming short-video content, with growth increasingly driven by rural and non-metro audiences. India’s active internet user base has crossed 950 million, with 57 per cent of users now coming from rural markets. Yet the frameworks that govern how video consumption is measured and monetised were largely designed for single-language, Western markets and have struggled to keep pace with the scale, diversity and complexity of India’s digital landscape.
Purkayastha is no stranger to these debates. He already serves on the AI Council at Marketing and Media Alliance India and as co-chair of the Digital Entertainment Committee at the Internet and Mobile Association of India. His induction into the IAB SEA+India Video Council extends that influence into the global video standards arena.
Inshorts Group sits squarely at the intersection of these forces. Its flagship product, Inshorts, India’s highest-rated short news app, reaches 12 million active users with 60-word news summaries. Its sister platform, Public App, reaches 80 million monthly active users across more than 700 districts and 12 languages, serving communities that most global platforms barely register.
Purkayastha said the opportunity was about building something more representative. “India today sits at the centre of the global video ecosystem, but the frameworks that define how value is created and measured have not always kept pace with the realities of our market,” he said. “Being part of the IAB SEA+India Video Council is an opportunity to contribute to a more representative and future-ready approach, one that accounts for diversity in language, context, and user intent.”
As a council member, Purkayastha will contribute to shaping regional standards across video advertising, measurement and platform governance, with a focus on frameworks that are native to India’s multilingual, mobile-first ecosystem rather than imported from global benchmarks designed elsewhere.
For years, India has been content to play by rules written for other markets. Purkayastha’s induction is a signal that it is done waiting to be consulted and ready to start writing them.
