BBC World Service to launch Hungarian and Romanian services

22 May 2026

BBC World Service to launch Hungarian and Romanian services

BBC World Service will launch content in Hungarian and Romanian, further building on its global commitment to reach more people with trusted news. The new pilot services, BBC News Magyaruland BBC News Romania, will deliver news and analysis via their websites – bbc.com/magyaruland bbc.com/romania – and their social-media channels.

The Hungarian-language website and social-media channels on Facebook and Instagram will go live from Tuesday 16 June. The Romanian-language website and social-media channels on Facebook and Instagram will be available from Tuesday 23 June. Both language offers will have YouTube and TikTok channels going live later.

To serve their respective audiences – across Hungary, Romania, Moldova and beyond – with independent and impartial coverage of key global and regional developments, the pilot services will cover a broad range of topics on which audiences in Central and Eastern Europe are seeking accurate information, and will be in easily discoverable, social-first formats. The content offers in Hungarian and Romanian will share a mix of stories covering global and European current affairs, health, science, technology, climate, and cost of living.

Both editorial teams will use AI translation technologies responsibly to bring audiences the BBC’s high-quality global journalism in Hungarian and Romanian. Journalists will curate the editorial offer and ensure there is human oversight of all AI-assisted content which, will be clearly labelled when used. Alongside this, the teams will produce original reports and analysis.

Interim Global Director, BBC News, Fiona Crack, says: “In an age of shrinking press freedom, rising disinformation, and global uncertainty, delivering independent and impartial news has never been more important. Launching BBC News Magyarul and BBC News Romania is a milestone built on innovation, like AI-assisted translation tools used responsibly, in order to reach new audiences with trusted news.”

BBC News Magyarul and BBC News Romania follow the successful launch of BBC News Polska. In less than a year since its inception, BBC News Polska has an average weekly reach of 537,000. In the most recent quarter, this grew substantially, with a weekly average of 808,000. The service’s reach among women is particularly high, making up nearly 60% of audiences on average since launch.

BBC News Magyarul and BBC News Romania Editorial Lead, Kateryna Khinkulova, adds: “I’m excited to be leading a team of highly skilled and experienced colleagues as we launch BBC journalism in two more languages, Hungarian and Romanian. Our offer is tailored to share high-quality journalism on the subjects that are of special relevance to the audiences we serve. With these two languages, we are eager to expand our reach in the region, especially to women and younger audiences, with the best of the BBC’s journalism.”

Expanding the BBC World Service’s global content offer to 45 languages including English, BBC News Magyarul and BBC News Romania will be available digitally around the world.

BBC News Magyarul and BBC News Romania add to the BBC’s presence in Hungary, Romania, and Moldova via BBC Studios. In Hungary, BBC Studios distributes the television channels BBC News and BBC Earth; in Romania – BBC News, BBC Earth and BBC First; in Moldova – BBC News and BBC First.

The BBC’s radio broadcasts – and later, websites – served Hungarian-speaking audiences between 1939 and 2005. The Romanian service operated between 1939 and 2008.

50 International Media Executives on Panel to judge AIBs 2014

4 September 2014

PRESS RELEASE

The Association for International Broadcasting has announced its panel of judges for its tenth annual international broadcasting awards, the AIBs 2014. The senior media executives who make up the independent panel come from all across the world and will judge the best in global factual radio, TV and online broadcasting.

CRANBROOK, UK 04 SEPTEMBER 2014 – The panel of 50 senior international media experts brought together by the AIB (Association for International Broadcasting) to judge the AIBs 2014 represents TV, radio and online broadcasting from all across the globe with in-depth knowledge of commissioning, writing, producing, editing and distribution. They have extensive experience in current affairs, investigative documentaries, short documentaries, children’s programmes, sport, science, transmission and broadcasting technology and will be bringing their insight and extensive knowledge to the judging the record number of entries received for this year’s awards which have come from all over the world.

“We are grateful to our panel of experts for agreeing to give up their time to judge the awards” said Simon Spanswick, CEO of the Association for International Broadcasting. “Their diversity of backgrounds and wide experience, coupled with the fact that they are free to choose the best entries without being influenced by any vested interest, ensures that the AIBs will continue to reward the very best of international broadcasting.”

The AIBs 2014 judges are:

The list of judges, with links to their biographies of the judges can be found at theaibs.tv/aibs-2014-judges/.

The AIBs are now in their tenth year and are independent of commercial interest. They attract entries from throughout the world, representing the best of international factual broadcasting. The 15 different categories to be judged cover radio, television and online media across a broad spectrum from single news events to long-term investigation with special categories for children’s programmes, for sport and for coverage of science. The categories also include awards for radio and television personalities of the year.

The winners of the AIBs will be announced at the AIB awards gala on Wednesday 5 November 2014 which will be held at LSO St Luke’s in London.

The AIBs 2014 are sponsored by Eutelsat

Contact

For further information please contact

Roger Stone, AIB

roger.stone@aib.org.uk

T +44 (0)20 7993 2557

AIB, PO Box 141, Cranbrook TN17 9AJ, UK

About the AIB

Established in 1993, the AIB is the international industry association and global knowledge network for the international broadcasting industry– cross-media, cross-border, cross-cultural. With a reach of over 25,000 communicators and media professionals, AIB is a unique centre of information about international broadcasting, covering TV, radio, online and mobile. AIB researches regular market intelligence briefings for its members and provides client-specific consultancy and project support. Members receive an extensive package of services throughout the year. AIB publishes the comprehensive Global Broadcasting Sourcebook and the international media magazine, The Channel. AIB hosts the annual AIB International Media Excellence Awards – the “AIBs”. For more information, visit www.aib.org.uk and theaibs.tv or call +44 (0) 20 7993 2557

About Eutelsat

Eutelsat is one of the world’s leading and most experienced operators of communications satellites. The company provides capacity on 36 satellites to clients that include broadcasters and broadcasting associations, pay-TV operators, video, data and internet service providers, enterprises and government agencies. Eutelsat’s satellites provide ubiquitous coverage of Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia-Pacific and the Americas, enabling video, data, broadband and government communications to be established irrespective of a user’s location.
For more information, visit www.eutelsat.com

AIB | PO Box 141 | Cranbrook | TN17 9AJ | United Kingdom
T +44 20 7993 2557
F +44 20 7993 8043
www.aib.org.uk

Antena 3 Romania supports anti-censorship protests in Turkey

13 February 2014

Romania’s leading news TV channel Antena 3 has expressed genuine solidarity with the recent protests against censorship of freedom of expression and Internet use in Turkey.

A letter from Antena 3’s journalists has been delivered to His Excellency, Mr. Ömür ŞÖLENDIL, the Ambassador of Turkey in Romania, to state their support for all the Turkish citizens who believe in and fight for fundamental human rights.

Adrian Ursu, one of the Antena 3 journalists present at the Turkish Embassy said that „We try to convey the message that any form of censorship must be condemned the very moment is under debate. Unfortunately, we were silent when Hungary had enforced all kinds of legislative measures to impose restrictions on the press, thinking it was an isolated episode that would have no consequences. Unfortunately, we see it has proved to be a pattern for other powers in this space of ours, more tempted to return to dictatorship, sometimes. That is why we have decided to send this letter of protest.”

Sabina Iosub, Antena 3 anchor, added „Imagine that you wrote something on Facebook and someone you do not know and will not know, decided that your posting is dangerous and removed it without appeal. That can happen in Turkey if the new Internet law will pass. Turks, like us, are passionate people, but I am convinced that eventually reason will prevail. After all, progress comes out of discussion, not monologues, and contrary points of views have led the world further, always.”

For Ionut Cristache, Antena 3 reporter, the only natural reaction is revolt. „As a journalist, you can only revolt against such an abuse which is on the brink of regulation! Any attack on freedom of speech is an attack on persona, an attack to one’s right to be free and to think freely!”

Through this action of solidarity, Antena 3 wishes to offer its support to the Turkish people who have campaigned for freedom of expression in the past days, and to spread their message further, hoping that the Turkish authorities will choose to respect the principles of democracy and fundamental human rights.

Antena 3 is the leading news channel in Romania, affiliated with CNN International and part of Intact Media Group, the largest media group in Romania. (Source: Antena 3 press release)

Entries pouring in for the 2010 AIBs

9 July 2010

As you will have seen, we have extended the deadline for entries to be submitted to the 2010 AIBs, the international media excellence awards, until 1600GMT on 16th July due to numerous requests. Broadcasters, content producers, providers of technology and others are responding to the extra time granted with large numbers of entries arriving at AIB headquarters every day.

So far companies in 21 countries have entered – from Argentina to China and from Australia to the USA. From phonecalls made to the AIB, we also know that many more entries are on their way.

It is particularly pleasing to see new companies entering for the first time – companies like KI.KA (Der Kinderkanal von ARD und ZDF) in Germany, TV Antena 1 in Romania, Russian Travel Guide Co Ltd Russia, Conker Media Ltd UK, Press TV Iran and eTV South Africa.

It is still not too late to enter if you are a producer or broadcaster of international TV or radio programmes (whether using terrestrial broadcasting, satellite, online or mobile) or if you produce the technology to power broadcasts, or if you run marketing programs for broadcasts (see the categories page on the website for the full list of different awards).

But with only one more week to the deadline, you will have to hurry so if you still want to enter go to the entries page for full details