BBC launches localised sites for Asia, India and Australia/NZ

The homepages will be tailored to each territory through the use of Geo-IP recognition, and readers can expect expanded local news, sport and travel sections, localised weather and features from local correspondents. It aims to offer local readers news that is specific to them, and updated more regularly, as part of an ongoing growth strategy for BBC in the Asia-Pacific region.

The sites have been launched with support from Finnair, UPS, Prudential and ANZ. These new editions signal the second phase of BBC.com’s multiple editions strategy which began in July 2010, with the launch of its North America Edition.

Chris Davies, acting managing director for BBC.com said that the new editions are a response to overwhelming audience feedback from its Asia-Pacific visitors who currently average 11.1 unique hits per month.

"The BBC brand is extremely well-established in Asia-Pacific," he told Campaign. "A lot of people grew up woth the BBC in Asia, and people (still) want impartial, accurate news."

To support this increased localisation, BBC has built a new team in Asia-Pacific based in Singapore who will work with BBC's international news service journalists. Davies says there has been both hiring for new roles based around the local websites as well as a reogranisation of other functions.

The new sites will also feature special in-depth reports on an on-going basis, beginning with two that will be uploaded from tomorrow - Start-Up Stories China, an eight-part series on how entrepeneurs are changing the business landscape in China and Generation Asia, an eight part series investigating the new generations of Cambodia, Indonesia, China, and Japan.