‘We See A Huge Opportunity In India's Affluent Population'

BBC Worldwide, which recently launched the Sony BBC Earth channel, is confident that there is an untapped market for factual entertainment in the country.

- Shruti Venkatesh

BBC Worldwide, the wholly-owned commercial arm of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), has taken several initiatives to strengthen its presence in India. In January, the company inked a licensing deal with Amazon India to stream its content on the ecommerce major’s video streaming service Amazon Prime and in March, it launched the premium factual entertainment channel Sony BBC Earth in partnership with Sony Pictures Networks India. Forbes India met BBC Worldwide’s Executive Vice President (Asia) David Weiland and Myleeta Aga, senior vice president & general manager (Southeast Asia and South Asia), to discuss what makes India an important market for the company, the launch of their new channel and plans for expansion. Edited excerpts:

Q What are your expectations from India?

David Weiland: India is one of our key focus markets. I manage the Asia region, which has about 25 countries and India is in the top three. The region receives the highest focus because of its huge growth potential. We are in a good position here because we have got channels, branded services, production and licensing. Now, it is about growing these businesses. We see a huge opportunity in India’s large population that is increasingly becoming more affluent and urban; as that happens, they become more open to international content. We are in a world [where technology is] changing rapidly and Asia is at the forefront of this change. We want all our brands and businesses represented here.

Q What led to the withdrawal of BBC Entertainment and CBeebies channels from India in 2012?