The BBC in India may split in two from Wednesday, as it seeks to match the government’s international funding guidelines.
For its English-language online, television, and radio shops with headquarters in London, the BBC will keep its newsgathering group in India.
A new, separate, American- owned company called the Collective Newsroom will then produce content for the BBC’s six another Indian language services.
The shift comes a time after BBC India’s headquarters were searched by authorities.
Income tax authorities conducted those searches days after the presenter aired a video critical of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the UK but not in India.
The timing of the raids had nothing to do with the documentary, which the government attempted to prevent from being made available in India, according to Gaurav Bhatia, a spokesman from Mr. Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party ( BJP).
The organization has stated that it will continue to be” committed” to the nation, where its production of English and language has an average weekly crowd of 82 million individuals.
The BBC has a long history in the government’s media environment, having initially launched the Hindi language assistance in 1940.
The Hindi services will now be produced by the Collective Newsroom, along with Marathi, Gujarati, Punjabi, Tamil, and Telugu- as well as a YouTube network BBC News India in English.
However, the Collective Newsroom, which was established by four BBC employees and will employ around 200 original BBC employees, will be able to produce articles for other news outlets in India and around the world.
The remaining 90 BBC team members will continue to work directly for the journalist in English-language information gathering and reporting duties for editors in London. Although their work wo n’t be published in India, audiences in India will still be able to access it.
The BBC has also applied for a 26 % stake in the new company, a first for the broadcaster’s global operations anywhere.
Rupa Jha, chief executive of Collective Newsroom, said the new business has” a distinct, ambitious mission to make the most reliable, creative and courageous journalism”.
She continued,” People will immediately come to know Collective Newsroom as an independent reports organization that works in the public interest, listens to from different tones and ideas, and leads with the details.”