On Tuesday, four members of the BBC staff announced their departure from the organisation to establish a new entity in India called Collective Newsroom. This new venture will operate “as commissioned by the BBC” while adhering to India’s foreign direct investment (FDI) regulations.
The four former BBC staffers — Rupa Jha, Mukesh Sharma, Sanjoy Majumder and Sara Hassan — will lead Collective Newsroom.
In a statement released by the UK-based public service broadcaster, it was revealed that Collective Newsroom is now an Indian company wholly owned by Indian citizens, replacing BBC World Service India to continue delivering language-based content.
This move comes in response to the BBC’s premises in India undergoing scrutiny by tax authorities and an ED investigation earlier in the year, regarding alleged FDI violations.
The BBC emphasised that the establishment of Collective Newsroom Private Limited complies with Indian Foreign Direct Investment law, allowing both entities to fulfil their commitment to Indian audiences and cover stories relevant to global audiences.
Collective Newsroom will be commissioned by BBC to produce its six Indian language services, as well as Indian digital content and an English-language YouTube channel for global audiences. Jonathan Munro, Deputy CEO of BBC News, welcomed the formation of Collective Newsroom.