MUMBAI: The latest research from Pax– the Pan-Asia Cross Media Survey conducted in 11 markets in Asia-Pacific and India – shows that BBC World has a greater year-on-year increase in weekly viewing among top management than any other international news channel.

BBC World already attracts an upmarket audience. Pax shows that it is the only global news channel with an increase in reach among top management in Asia in all three categories. Compared to a year ago, monthly reach is up by 32 per cent [to 20.8 per cent]; weekly reach rises by 11 per cent [to 10.5 per cent]; and daily reach jumps by 10 pr cent [to seven per cent]. BBC World’s daily audience among top management is now 47 per cent, larger that that of CNBC, with both weekly and monthly audiences being 18 per cent greater.

BBC World also scores highly among business decision-makers. The broadcaster's monthly and weekly reaches have grown by six per cent and five per cent respectively since the last quarter among business decision-makers. Among top management, these figures are 15 per cent and 12 per cent respectively.

As well as a growth in top management, BBC World can now claim the largest daily audience compared to all other regional channels in Asia, in two key targets: 11.9 per cent reach among individuals in 10 markets whose monthly personal income is above $10,000, and a 15.4 per cent reach among opinion formers [people undertaking three or more opinion-forming activities per year] with a post-graduate qualification.

BBC World head of research and planning Jeremy Nye says, “For BBC World to grow its audience in 2004, after the intense news interest of 2003, is testimony to increasing loyalty towards its editorial mix. BBC World has long claimed a uniquely upscale and influential audience profile. We are now starting to see the channel challenging for market-leader status among specific audience targets.”

Among the 10 largest international channels in Asia-Pacific, BBC World’s audience remains enviably upscale and includes the highest proportion of top management [seven per cent], frequent international travellers [5.2 per cent] and influential opinion-formers [20 per cent].

There were also clear signs of more viewers switching to BBC World, with the channel’s exclusive weekly and monthly audiences [viewers who do not watch CNN] jumping by eight per cent and six per cent respectively. In the 10 Asian markets covered in the Pax research, the channel’s exclusive weekly audience among business decision-makers grew by a quarter to 103,000. This total is 87 per cent more than that of CNBC.