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³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Worldwide, the commercial arm of the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ, will today signal its long-term commitment to expanding in India with the announcement of a programme of new investment into its ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ channels, ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Entertainment and CBeebies.

The commitment is part of ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Worldwide's plans to increase its focus internationally. Over the past year 55% of the organisation's revenue came from international businesses – up from 46% in 2006. ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Worldwide’s target is to have two-thirds of its sales come from overseas business by 2012 and India is seen as a key market to help reach this target. ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Worldwide will announce its investment programme at a reception it is hosting today for a UK Government-led trade delegation to India, attended by Prime Minister, David Cameron, Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, and Secretary of State for Culture, the Olympics, Media and Sport, Jeremy Hunt.

Speaking at the reception, Darren Childs, Managing Director, ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Worldwide Channels, will outline the attractions of the Indian pay-TV market. These reflect the country's demographics, its rapid economic growth trajectory and a consumer appetite for high quality British television content. Childs will also outline the history of ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ's presence in India explaining that there are three ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ branded channels there with ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ World News also broadcasting alongside CBeebies and ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Entertainment.

Darren Childs, Managing Director Channels, ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Worldwide comments: "India is a country which we believe is a great fit for our channels with a large English speaking population, good ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ brand recognition and a strong affinity with the UK. We have identified India as a top priority market and will be actively investing to bring more quality content and increasing distribution here. The Indian pay TV market already has significant scale, and its future potential for subscription and advertising is exciting."

Secretary of State for Culture, the Olympics, Media and Sport, the Rt Hon Jeremy Hunt, says: "The ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ is a world class broadcaster and producer of creative content and this additional investment by its commercial arm signifies the importance of India as a market for the UK. I am delighted that the UK has yet again demonstrated its capability as a global player in innovation and look forward to the further potential for UK/India collaboration in the creative sectors."

³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Worldwide Channels currently operates an international network of 41 TV channels, available in every habitable continent, reaching 326 million homes. Last year, it saw double-digit percentage growth in sales and profits year on year (16.4% and 34.2% respectively).

This news follows the announcement made earlier this week that Deepak Shourie has been appointed Director, South Asia, ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Worldwide Channels reporting to Mark Whitehead, GM and SVP Asia, ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Worldwide Channels.

In addition to ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Entertainment, CBeebies and ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ World News, ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Worldwide also has a TV production business based in Mumbai. Its productions include three seasons of Dancing with the Stars, Baby Borrowers and Desai Girl. ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Worldwide also manages ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ.com in India, attracting some 1.2m visitors a month. In 2004 ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Worldwide entered into a 50:50 magazine publishing joint venture with Times of India, Worldwide Media Ltd, one of the largest magazine publishing companies in India. Lonely Planet has been distributing its English language editions in India since the early 1980s. Its first guide to India was produced in 1981 and has been consistently ranked among the company's top five guidebooks for over 25 years.

Esther Brown/Alison Donnelly