MUMBAI: BBC Bangla TV and radio content now reaches 15 million people in Bangladesh every week, according to the BBC’s 2017 Global Audience Measure. This includes nine million people who watch the BBC Bangla weekly television programme, BBC Probaho, and seven million people who tune in to the BBC Bangla radio programmes.

BBC Bangla editor, Sabir Mustafa, comments: “We are thrilled by the progress of BBC Probaho. We will build on its success by expanding the BBC Bangla presence on television - while continuing to deliver a strong and vibrant radio programming and also working to increase our output across digital platforms including social media.”

BBC Probaho is broadcast at 9.35pm local time every Thursday by the BBC’s rebroadcasting partner, Channel- The programme is also available on the BBC Bangla channel on YouTube. Presented by Sharmin Rauma, it delivers 25 minutes of news, interviews and debate on key issues affecting Bangladesh. It reports from across the country, giving people the opportunity to express views and raise concerns on issues that matter to them and demanding answers from key decision-makers. Following the Eid festival break, the programme resumes broadcasts on Thursday 13 July.

BBC Bangla radio programmes, produced in London and Dhaka, air on the state FM network, Bangladesh Betar, as well as on shortwave and via bbcbangla.com.

Over the past year, BBC Bangla has seen a significant increase in web and social-media reach. BBC Bangla engages around 1.4m people around the world every week via its website bbcbangla.com and on social media. The BBC Bangla Facebook page has over 11.3m followers (July 2017), nearly 80 per cent of them in Bangladesh.