Plug Pulled On CBeebies, BBC Entertainment in India

MUMBAI/LONDON: BBC Worldwide is closing down the Indian feeds of CBeebies and BBC Entertainment, citing delays in the digitization process and the "challenging" economics of operating pay-TV channels in the country.

The two channels will be shuttered at the end of this month. BBC World News will remain on Indian airwaves. A company statement noted, "The decision to withdraw these BBC channels has not been an easy one to take. India is a dynamic and fast growing media market but remains uniquely challenging for pay-TV channels. Specifically, delays in digitization and the need for channel operators to pay cable platforms for carriage makes the economics of running channels very challenging at this time."

The statement added, "We believe India is an exciting market and in the event of changes in the options available to us we would certainly consider re-launching our non-news channels in the market."