BBC World gears up to don a new look

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Mumbai, May 7: BBC World, the 24-hour news channel from BBC Global, has changed its name to BBC World News. A research conducted by the company showed that audiences were confused about the offerings of BBC World. Therefore the word 'News' was added to bring in clarity.

It also strengthens the brand proposition and positioning. Along with this, the company has also changed its logo. It has retained the old theme music and the globe in the logo. Earlier, the logo had darker shades of red and black, which has now been changed to lighter shade of red and white. Even the programme packaging and the website has been changed in order to facilitate these changes.

BBC will also increase the number of news hours from five to seven hours. Asia contributes about 35% of BBC World News' global revenues, with India contributing about 15%. Both distribution and advertising contributes equal revenues in India.

Also, there is a shift in advertising strategy in India. The company has tied up with a number of Indian travel agencies including the ministry of travel and tourism and other corporates. Therefore, the channel showcases travel ads and also corporate campaigns of various companies not only in India but also in other international destinations. In order to beef up connectivity with audiences, BBC has tied up with six telecom companies including BPL, MTNL, Airtel, Vodafone, Spice and Idea for sending news through text messages. BBC is in talks with these companies for some sort of an arrangement through which short news clips could be sent. BBC World News is now positioning itself as a tri-media news service, delivering news content across multiple platforms including TV, online and mobile.

Anne Barnard, managing director, BBC World News, said, "Earlier, we were a linear television channel. However, technological advances have changed the way consumers access news. Therefore, we would like to adopt the tri-media proposition and connect with audiences at every level."