Mumbai, Maharashtra, BBC World News has boosted its audience in India by over 20%, after signing a major new deal with Sun Direct that takes the channel overall India distribution to around 22 million.

The new arrangement, which begins this month, will see the BBC international, commercially-funded channel placed on the Basic pack on Sun Direct platform. This will mean the channel is now available to the entire spectrum of Sun Direct viewers, which numbers close to 5 million households across the country.

The deal comes hot on the heels of new programming on the channel dedicated to viewers in South Asia. The Hub with Nik Gowing is among a number of new programmes on BBC World News, launched at the beginning of February. The show, which is broadcast Monday to Friday 16.00-17.30 GMT, will take a look at international news from a South Asian perspective.

Colin Lawrence, Commercial Director of BBC World News, says "This is a great start to 2010 for us in what is a hugely important market. The fact that an extra 5 million households in India can now watch us directly is very significant, and we delighted that Sun Direct, India youngest and number 2 DTH Company, has taken us onto its platform. Our new schedule also gives Indian viewers content that is tailored to them, so we are excited about the future here."

Mr Tony D Silva, Chief Operating Officer, Sun Direct, adds: "BBC World News is a first class news channel with something unique to offer our viewers, particularly with its new programming focused on our region. We are providing next-generation services to our audiences here, using the latest MPEG-4 based technology, and BBC World News is exactly the kind of channel we want to provide on our platform."

The Log Channel No for BBC World News on Sun Direct platform is 567.

Notes to Editor

About BBC World News:

BBC World News, the BBC commercially funded international 24-hour news and information channel, is owned and operated by BBC World News Ltd, a member of the BBC commercial group of companies. BBC World News attracts 74 million viewers a week, is available in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide, and reaches more than 299 million households and 1.7 million hotel rooms. The channel content is also available on 81 cruise ships, 46 airlines, 35 mobile phone networks and a number of major online platforms including bbc.com/news. For further information on how to receive BBC World News, download schedules or find out more about the channel, visit bbcworldnews.com.