Vedansh Pandey
Even as the Government of India reportedly monitors BBC’s coverage of Kashmir, its newly formed Indian content partner — Collective Newsroom Pvt. Ltd. — has been showcased and promoted through a Ministry of Information and Broadcasting-backed startup platform.
The Ministry of External Affairs’ XP Division has reportedly begun monitoring BBC’s reporting, especially after the broadcaster referred to terrorists in Pahalgam as “militants.” Multiple mainstream outlets, including The Times of India and India Today, have cited unnamed officials confirming that a notice was issued to the BBC.
Meanwhile, Collective Newsroom Pvt. Ltd., which now produces all of BBC’s Indian language content, was allotted a booth and investment pitch opportunity at WAVEX 2025, a media-tech startup showcase endorsed by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
The BBC had earlier faced “surveys” by the Income Tax Department and investigations by the Enforcement Directorate in 2023, reportedly for violations of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) rules. The broadcaster subsequently restructured its India operations by transferring its language service business to Collective Newsroom.
Collective Newsroom was incorporated on 27 October 2023 with Prabhkirtan Singh Sehgal and Rashi Sehgal as its original directors. It was acquired just six weeks later, on 11 December 2023, by Connected Newsroom Holdings Pvt. Ltd.
On 23 December 2023, four former BBC editors — Rupa Jha, Mukesh Sharma, Sanjoy Majumder, and Sara Hasan — were appointed as directors. However, no DIR-12 filings reflecting this change are visible in the Ministry of Corporate Affairs database.
On 20 March 2024, Collective Newsroom — at the time just under 6 months old — acquired the BBC World Service Language Business from BBC World Service India Pvt. Ltd. The value and terms of this Business Transfer Agreement remain undisclosed.
The BBC has confirmed it has applied to acquire a 26% stake in Collective Newsroom — a first-of-its-kind equity arrangement globally for the public broadcaster. Whether funding has been transferred remains unclear.
Despite no public announcement of WAVEX 2025 pitch selections, Collective Newsroom was allotted Booth 4 and listed among selected startups, raising questions about selection transparency.
While CEO Rupa Jha has positioned Collective Newsroom as an independent venture that adheres to BBC’s editorial values, even quoting: “We will keep the BBC Editorial Guidelines in mind… Upholding the trust in the BBC brand is our responsibility to carry forward,” the company’s opaque formation process raises important questions.
Despite being relatively unknown before 2024, Collective Newsroom now handles content for BBC News Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, and BBC India’s YouTube channel. Yet, its ownership history, lack of statutory filings, and unexplained directorial changes create significant transparency gaps.
There is also the unresolved contradiction in the government’s position. While one wing of the state allegedly scrutinizes the BBC’s editorial choices, another provides institutional support and platform access to its surrogate via a state-sponsored startup initiative.
This case raises urgent questions about regulatory consistency, editorial independence, and public transparency:
Why has the government not articulated a unified position on the BBC’s operations?
What is the rationale for facilitating pitch opportunities for an entity associated with a broadcaster under formal scrutiny?
And how does the BBC, which often promotes transparency and democratic values in other countries, explain the lack of public disclosure in its own restructuring process in India?
Until these contradictions are addressed, India’s media governance narrative — and the BBC’s — remain riddled with unanswered questions.
