BBC World Service to provide Punjabi & Gujarati news

The BBC World Service has announced its biggest expansion since the 1940s.

The new changes will see the addition of news outputs in South Asian languages including Punjabi, Gujarati, Marathi, Telugu and seven other languages. This means the BBC World Service will be available in 40 languages including English. The expansion will also mean more journalists on the ground in locations across the world.

Tony Hall, Director-General of the BBC, says, “This is a historic day for the BBC, as we announce the biggest expansion of the World Service since the 1940s. The BBC World Service is a jewel in the crown – for the BBC and for Britain.

“As we move towards our centenary, my vision is of a confident, outward-looking BBC which brings the best of our independent, impartial journalism and world-class entertainment to half a billion people around the world. Today is a key step towards that aim.”

BBC World Service already provides news in Hindi, Urdu, Tamil and Bengali languages. This will result in the BBC bureau in Delhi becoming the largest outside its UK operations.