A company release states that BBC World has experienced an increase of 15 per cent in its viewership within Asia - the fastest growth for any international news or business channel.

Across the original seven PAX markets, BBC World claims to be nearly 60 per cent ahead of CNBC in terms of reach among business decision-makers. The channel has enjoyed particularly large growth in Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, Hong Kong and Taipei.

In particular, BBC World's investment in regional programming is said to have attracted a loyal audience of senior business people. Findings show that more than 24,000 'top management' in Asia tune in to BBC World either every day or almost every day, according to an official statement from the BBC.

BBC World's overall audience profile also remains enviably upscale. Among the ten largest international channels in Asia-Pacific, BBC World's audience includes the highest proportion of frequent business travellers (34 per cent), business decision-makers (27 per cent) and business opinion formers (35 per cent).

The release quotes BBC World's head of research and planning Jeremy Nye, as saying, "BBC World continues to maintain its position in Asia-Pacific, attracting upmarket audiences, and cost-effective delivery to advertisers. Across the main nine PAX markets, we are pulling further away from its main competitors, and now reaching more business decision-makers in certain day parts than CNN."

The PAX 2003 survey was conducted during the 12-month period from July 2002 to June 2003 among 19,222 respondents in markets in Asia-Pacific. The survey was based on nine markets including Hong Kong, Singapore, Bangkok, Taipei, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Seoul and India. In India, it covered Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore.