BBC World Service has taken capacity on the Thaicom 6 satellite previously used by VOA to deliver BBC News Burmese video content in the aftermath of the Myanmar earthquake.
The four-month contract will deliver BBC News Burmese TV and audio programming to Myanmar, Thailand, and the wider region. An on-screen QR code will also direct viewers to the service’s website, bbc.com/burmese.
BBC News Global Director and Deputy CEO, Jonathan Munro, said: “In Myanmar, where press freedom is severely restricted and where a vicious conflict continues, we now have an audience also beset by a natural disaster. During the week of the disastrous earthquake, BBC News Burmese total digital reach quadrupled as people came to the BBC for trusted information. With the launch of this new satellite-based video service, featuring our TV, radio and online output in Burmese, we’ll be offering a critical information stream for an audience struggling to recover from the calamity which took so many lives. Aimed for an audience in need, this is yet another timely and much-needed initiative born from the commitment and expertise of the BBC teams.”
Following the earthquake on 28 March 2025, BBC News Burmese journalists were deployed to the earthquake epicentre and were reporting from Mandalay, Yangon, and Bangkok, as well as from London. BBC News Burmese extended its daily live radio bulletin from 15min to 30min to include additional reporting and lifeline information. Audiences can also watch the Monday to Friday 15-minute TV bulletin which goes on air at 20.45 local time.
Over the next few months, the direct-to-home satellite video channel will add to BBC News Burmese availability via the service’s website as well as its YouTube channel and its Facebook page which has a following of 25 million people. BBC News Burmese also connects with audiences via Instagram, Telegram and X. Digital free-to-air TV channel, Mizzima TV, rebroadcasts BBC News Burmese TV programmes.
