MUMBAI: British public broadcaster BBC?s commercial arm BBC Worldwide is to launch a premium BBC channel on Foxtel in Australia as an ad free medium to focus on British drama and comedy.

This new multi-platform deal will attempt to be as close to the transmission in United Kingdom as possible.

This is a key move in the BBC?s global strategy to build its brand in markets outside the UK. The Foxtel platform offers an opportunity for the BBC to create a direct relationship with Australian audiences.

Launching as part of the Foxtel Drama and Lifestyle package in mid 2014, the channel will feature quality first-run programming from the BBC and other great British producers, which will not be available on terrestrial television for at least 12 months.

One title already confirmed for the launch is the spectacular 10-part drama series ?The Musketeers?, which is Adrian Hodges? fresh and contemporary take on Alexandre Dumas? characters from the novel ?The Three Musketeers?.

The deal will also see the four existing BBC channels ? UKTV, BBC Knowledge, CBeebies and BBC World News ? continuing on the Foxtel platform.

All five channels will be available on Foxtel GO and the premiere channel will be available in high definition, alongside UKTV and BBC Knowledge. Extensive BBC content will be available on demand at no extra charge and subscribers to the channels will be able to go back in time using the Foxtel EPG to watch or record programmes they have missed.

In addition, the deal offers Foxtel a first-look at all BBC Worldwide Lifestyle programming. This content will also be available on Foxtel Go and on demand and using the EPG catch up functionality.

BBC Worldwide Australasia MD Jon Penn said, ?This deal represents a strategic opportunity for BBC Worldwide to further expand our opportunities to showcase outstanding British creativity in Australia. We have a strong relationship with Foxtel and their viewers through our existing four channels, and were delighted to be given the chance to launch a premium channel that could offer the best BBC and British premiere television shortly after UK transmission. We are confident that we will also continue to have productive relationships with our other valued partners in the FTA, STV and digital markets.?

Foxtel CEO Richard Freudenstein said, ?The BBC is one of the great television brands: its content across so many genres is loved and admired by millions of viewers all over the world. By strengthening our relationship with the BBC we will greatly enhance the viewing experience we offer our subscribers, with even more high quality content that can only be seen on the Foxtel platform and which we show as soon as possible after its original broadcast. Plus we offer the superior quality of high definition and the fantastic convenience of Foxtel Go.?

MUMBAI: UK pubcaster The BBC has appointed British journalist James Harding as BBC News and Current Affairs director following an open recruitment process. Harding begins his new role in August.

Harding, who will sit on the BBC?s executive and management boards, will oversee the BBC?s News and Current Affairs programming.

BBC News provides news and analysis to audiences in the UK and internationally. The division employs over 8,000 staff working across Network News, English Regions and Global News.

Harding previously worked at The Times where he was editor from 2007 until 2012. Before that he held a number of international posts at the Financial Times. He replaces Helen Boaden who has taken up the role of BBC Radio director.

Dedicated teams work together to reach over 80 per cent of people in the UK every week. BBC News is responsible for daily bulletins on the BBC?s main TV channels and radio stations, as well as flagship programmes like ?Today?, ?Newsnight?, ?Question Time? and ?Panorama?. It also produces and runs regional TV and radio news programmes in England, the BBC News website, the BBC News Channel, BBC Parliament and BBC Radio 5 live.

BBC DG Tony Hall said, "I am delighted that James will be joining as the new Director of BBC News and Current Affairs. High quality journalism sits right at the heart of the BBC making this is an absolutely critical role.

"James has a very impressive track record as a journalist, editor and manager. I believe he will give BBC News a renewed sense of purpose as it moves away from what has been an undeniably difficult chapter. As an organisation, the BBC will also benefit from his external perspective and experience which he will share as a member of the BBC?s Executive team."

Harding said, "The BBC?s newsroom strives to be the best in the world, trusted for its accuracy, respected for its fairness and admired for the courage of its reporting. I am honoured to be a part of it."

MUMBAI: Tony Hall, the UK pubcaster BBC?s new Director General, today set out the ?next chapter? for the BBC, telling staff that he believed "with imagination and hard work, the BBC?s best days lie ahead of us.?

In an email to all staff on taking charge of his new assignment, he outlined a number of questions he believes the BBC needs to address over the coming months. He told staff that he wants to listen to their views, which - along with those of audiences and partners - will be key in shaping the BBC?s ambitions. He will review these themes with the BBC Trust and then set out his thinking in the autumn.

He noted that the BBC is a very special organisation as it enriches millions of lives every day, here and the world over. ?It provokes strong opinions because people care passionately about it. The BBC has a unique history, a special place in the country?s heart and a vital part to play in its future. So I have a very real sense of the responsibility that comes with the role.

?Recent times have been difficult for the BBC, but obviously far more so for those directly affected by these events. We are learning the lessons and thanks to the hard work of staff across the organisation under Tim?s excellent leadership, the BBC has moved forward. We are now winning back trust, something which will always be the most precious commodity for our organisation. We must never take it for granted,? he said.
He added that he is confident about the future for the BBC for two key reasons: the calibre and quality of its people and the values everybody in the media organisation shares.

He said that his job is to enable the employees to do the best work, producing outstanding programmes and services, and to remove the distractions that get in the way of that ambition. ?The BBC sets incredibly high standards. At our best we provide a service like no other. Our challenge is to perform at our best all of the time. In the coming weeks, I will set out how we can all shape the next chapter for the BBC as we move towards our centenary in 2022. Later this year I will share my thinking with the Trust before outlining our new ambitions for the BBC. We will need to make the most compelling case possible by listening to our audiences and partners, and building on our many strengths.?

He said that the questions the company needs to ask itself include:

• How can we further improve the quality and distinctiveness of our programmes?
• How can we get closer to our audiences so they can get the content they want, when and how they want it?
• How can we build an ever more creative and dynamic organisation where the best creative talents want to work?
• What are the next big trends in technology and consumption that we need to grasp as we did with BBC Online and iPlayer?
• How can we act as a catalyst for creative and digital economies, a global champion for the UK and a source of future jobs?
• How can we make more of the BBC brand and content in the global marketplace?
• How can we improve what it is like to work at the BBC?
• How can we meet all of these ambitions within the means of the Licence Fee?

?There are obviously other big questions and we must address them all whilst adapting to the ways in which Britain, its society, nations and regions are changing.

?Critically this means me listening to you. Over the coming months I want to hear your thoughts about this next stage of our journey. I will be getting out around the BBC as much as possible.

?I am proud to be leading the BBC as we start this next chapter together. We have always been pioneers. As we move towards our centenary it is a time for the BBC to be self-confident and optimistic about the future. You produce brilliant programmes and content, day in, day out. There can be no complacency but I firmly believe with imagination and hard work the BBC?s best days lie ahead of us.?