MUMBAI: BBC Worldwide has announced the appointment of Martyn Freeman as its general counsel, a new role with responsibility across all legal and business affairs, policy and regulatory matters, including the negotiation of transactions and joint ventures, rights and deals management, crisis management, compliance, risk management and talent accounting.

Freeman will report to BBC Worldwide CEO John Smith and will be a member of BBC Worldwide?s Executive Board. He will take up his position on 21 November.

He has been in charge of BBC Worldwide?s Legal and Business Affairs since 2002, as group head and then director. In these roles, he worked on the creation of partnerships such as BBC Books and 2 entertain, the divestments of BBC Magazines and BBC Audiobooks, the re-structuring of joint ventures with Discovery, and has had overall responsibility for rights acquisition and management.

More recently he has also led on raising financing and negotiating deals for BBC Worldwide?s slate of natural history feature films.

Previous to this position, he has worked in a variety of roles across the BBC, including as Head of Business Affairs, Radio and Music, Factual and Learning and News.

Freeman said, ?I am delighted to become the first general counsel for BBC Worldwide. It gives me the chance to build on nearly a decade?s work at BBC Worldwide as well as taking on some fascinating new challenges as BBC Worldwide continues to develop as a truly global media company.?

MUMBAI: BBC Worldwide Channels has announced that the latest series of motoring show ?Top Gear? will be coming to global television screens just days after the UK premiere transmission.

Kicking off with a new ?Top Gear? special in early 2012, series 18 will follow a maximum of 14 days after the UK transmission of the series on BBC Entertainment in India, Africa and Latin America and on BBC Knowledge in Poland and Asia.

BBC Worldwide Channels senior VP programming, TV channels David Weiland said, "It?s an important part of our programming strategy to bring as much of our acquired content to air as closely on our global network as it does in the UK. Top Gear is a hugely popular programme with viewers across all our territories and I?m delighted we are able to bring the latest series to them so close to the UK premiere transmission."

Sold to almost 200 territories worldwide, Top Gear achieves viewing figures of over six million viewers per episode when it premieres in the UK and is regularly the most downloaded programme on the BBC?s UK iPlayer, BBC Worldwide said. Since 2008, four international versions have been licensed by BBC Worldwide in Australia, Russia, China and the US.

MUMBAI: BBC Worldwide president Worldwide Networks and global BBC iPlayer Jana Bennett has announced plans to launch BBC branded channels in Thailand early next year.

In her first appearance at Casbaa since joining BBC Worldwide in February this year, Bennett officially unveiled new channel launches in Taiwan and Indonesia.

BBC Worldwide will launch BBC Knowledge, BBC Entertainment, BBC Lifestyle and CBeebies in Thailand in January 2012.

In Taiwan, BBC Worldwide Channels has concluded a deal with Chung Hwa Telecom to launch BBC Knowledge, BBC Lifestyle and BBC Entertainment on MoD, the company?s IPTV platform. This is the first appearance for the channels in Taiwan, and they will be unveiled to press in Taipei on 23rd November.

Growing the portfolio in existing markets: In Indonesia, BBC Lifestyle is now available on NexMedia, joining BBC Knowledge and CBeebies in that market.

Serving audiences with the best content: 1 November sees the launch of Lonely Planet on BBC Knowledge, the ultimate destination of travel-related programming. Arctic with Bruce Parry will launch the new block and Free Rein - an original commission for BBC Knowledge from Lonely Planet?s production arm - will premiere in December.

Starting with season 18 which begins early next year, ?Top Gear? will air on BBC Knowledge within two weeks of going out in the UK.

MUMBAI: BBC Worldwide Channels has announced the appointment of Nina Laricheva to the role of VP Commercial Development for its business in Europe, Middle East and Africa.

Reporting to BBC Worldwide Channels senior VP, GM Europe, Middle East and Africa Ian McDonough, she will be responsible for driving revenue growth and the strategic development of the business?s thematic portfolio - BBC Knowledge, BBC Lifestyle, BBC Entertainment, CBeebies and BBC HD - as well as for BBC World News, the BBC?s commercially funded international 24-hour news and information channel.

Her role will involve developing the sales and business strategy for the channels in key markets across EMEA, negotiating multiplatform distribution deals in conjunction with local teams and establishing and maintaining relationships with internal stakeholders within BBC Worldwide.

She will take up her new role on 1 November. She fills the position vacated by McDonough on his elevation to GM in August 2010, and will also act as his deputy in her new role.

With over 10 years of experience in the Pay TV industry, she has worked for a number of international broadcasters, most recently Universal Networks International. As Global Affiliate Sales Director, she was instrumental in growing distribution for the network, particularly in Benelux, Africa and the Nordic Region.

Prior to that, she worked as a consultant for BBC Worldwide Channels, after having held the role of Commercial Director for Discovery Networks Europe.

McDonough said, "Nina brings to the role great expertise and a real understanding of the positioning of BBC Worldwide?s Channels business, and its potential within the wider commercial television landscape. I?m delighted to have her on board as we look to build on the success of our channels in EMEA."

MUMBAI: BBC Worldwide will complete on 31 October its previously announced sale of BBC Magazines? assets to Exponent Private Equity.

In addition to the outright sale of six magazine titles, a number of long-term publishing licences and contracts to publish a further four, the assets to be acquired by Exponent include BBC Magazines? shareholdings in two joint ventures ? subscription fulfilment business Dovetail and distribution business Frontline ? as well as its stake in Origin Publishing.

Completion follows regulatory clearance from the Office of Fair Trading obtained earlier this week.

Completion of the sale of BBC Worldwide?s shareholding in Indian publishing joint venture, Worldwide Media, to fellow shareholder Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd took place last week.

The two transactions will together generate cash proceeds of ?121 million, which will be returned to the BBC.

BBC Worldwide CEO John Smith said, "Building on a heritage dating back to Radio Times? first edition in 1923, the titles remain synonymous with the highest quality journalism along with expertise in, and a passion for, their subject areas. We will retain a close link with the new owners following the transaction, which I believe offers the best prospects for the business in the future."

MUMBAI: BBC Worldwide has licensed the Qipco British Champions Day 2011, which takes place on 15 October, to a raft of international broadcasters ahead of Sportel Monaco 2011, ensuring the event will be seen in 75 countries globally.

Confirmed broadcasters include Ten Sports, the Dubai Sports Channel, SuperSport, Sport 5 Israel and NHK Japan.

Qipco British Champions Day, to be held at Ascot, is the climactic race day of the newly-formed QIPCO British Champions Series and offers prize money of over ?3 million. British racing?s major stakeholders have come together to create this prestigious event as a bigger finale to the flat racing season, in a major restructuring of the racing calendar to broaden the sport?s appeal. 

BBC Worldwide head of sport Danny O?Toole said, "This is an exciting time for British flat racing, and with the racing calendar rejuvenated, the QIPCO British Champions Day promises to be a major television event for international broadcasters. We?re delighted that these sales have already guaranteed it a substantial global audience, and expect to see more deals closed soon at Sportel."

Ascot head of communications and international racing Nick Smith also welcomed the deals, saying, "Qipco British Champions Day has the potential to be ranked alongside the USA?s Breeders? Cup, UAE?s Dubai World Cup fixture and France?s Prix de L?Arc de Triomphe day as one of the most important events in international racing, and we?re excited to see broadcasters giving it the platform it deserves around the world."

This will be BBC Worldwide?s first visit to Sportel since bringing together two previously separate parts of its sports business ? Sports Sales and Distribution and Motion Gallery Sport ? to create a single, focused team. In addition to the QIPCO British Champions Day 2011 and 2012, BBC Worldwide?s Sportel slate will also include a wide range of world class live events, quality programming and sport archive.

Live events on offer range from Royal Ascot, The Investec Derby and John Smith?s Grand National to Barbarians vs. Australia 2011, the London Marathon and the Oxford & Cambridge University Boat Race. New programmes available include the critically-acclaimed film Fire in Babylon, as well as upcoming BBC One documentaries The Dark Side Of Sport ? Freddie On Depression and Nic Hamilton ? My Chance to Shine. Sport archives of BBC Worldwide include The Football League, BBC Sport, The FA, ECB, Six Nations and the Commonwealth Games.