Australia Network extends reach in India

The ABC and India’s public broadcaster, Prasar Bharati have signed an agreement to deliver Australia’s international television channel, the Australia Network, Direct-to-Home via satellite on DD Direct, making the network available to an additional 25 million viewers in the Indian sub-continent.

To mark the launch of the new service, the ABC’s agenda-setting panel discussion program, Q&A, broadcast live from Delhi on Monday 18 November. ABC

International has also launched a new website for India, AustraliaPlus.com/India.

The website will be offering content in both English and Hindi as well as an Indian news feed from Doordashan.

“As 2013 nears an end, we are seeing an enormous growth in the sharing of content between India and Australia through a number of channels,” the CEO of ABC International Lynley Marshall said.

“Our partnership with Doordashan means that Australian content will find a whole new audience in India. What is also exciting is that through our new Indian website, as well as closer connections being developed with some of India’s leading media companies such as The Times of India and New Delhi TV, there is significantly more opportunity to share ideas and produce content that is relevant to audiences in both countries. Examples of this are projects already in pre-production such as the marking of the 100th anniversary of the Gallipoli Campaign and a cricket series highlighting the best from our shared archives”.

Australia Network is currently available in key metropolitan markets across the Indian sub-continent via a number of regional cable and satellite television operators.