MUMBAI: BBC Worldwide Channels has launched three of its channels, BBC Entertainment, BBC World News and BBC Lifestyle, on newly launched Indonesian pay TV platform, max3.

max3 is the retail brand of Biznet Networks, a leading telecommunication and multimedia operator in Indonesia whose services currently include unlimited broadband internet service and pay TV services.

With the debut of BBC Entertainment in Indonesia, the full suite of BBC?s channels will now be available in the country.

?Indonesia is a very important part of BBC Worldwide?s growth strategy in Asia, and we are very pleased to be working with Biznet to launch our channels on their new platform,? commented BBC Worldwide Channels Asia SVP and GM Mark Whitehead. ?We are confident that the high quality and award winning programmes on BBC Entertainment, together with BBC World News and BBC Lifestyle will be popular with max3?s viewers.?

2012 has been a year of tremendous growth for BBC World News. "The channel surpassed the 300 million household figure in May, and several international news events of the year allowed BBC World News to do what it does best. That Biznet sees the value in carrying us in what is a strategic Asian market does not come as a surprise. We look forward to working with them to build the BBC World News brand in Indonesia, especially as we are about to move into new state-of-the art studios in London,? said BBC Global New Director Distribution Colin Lawrence.

?We are very happy that three of the BBC channels will join us when we launch our platform. We are confident that high quality content is a key factor in driving our subscription growth. We are confident that BBC World News, BBC Lifestyle and BBC Entertainment will make max3?s offerings even stronger and more sought after by our subscribers," said Biznet Networks President Director Adi Kusma.

MUMBAI: BBC World News is launching a new series titled ?The Ideas Exchange?, a programme that explores the minds shaping global business.

Starting 1 September, the show will air every Saturday at 8 am and 9 pm and Sunday at 3 pm.

Produced by Gogglebox Entertainment, the eight-part series is being sponsored by HSBC.

?The Ideas Exchange? is an half-an-hour programme that pairs up two global business leaders from around the world to discuss today?s business landscape and their secrets of success.

"What makes this series unique is the fact that the business leaders taking part actually interview one another," Gogglebox Entertainment joint managing director Mat Steiner said.

Travelling to cities such as Beijing, Madrid, London, Addis Ababa, S?oPaulo and New York, and highlighting expertise in industries from pharmaceuticals to telecom, ?The Ideas Exchange? will give BBC World News viewers an insight into the minds that shape global business.

BBC World News commissioning editor Mary Wilkinson said, "The Ideas Exchange is an exciting new commission for BBC World News. The programme will feature top entrepreneurs and innovators from across the world, all of whom are recognised for their bold business decisions. We look forward to some fascinating and thought-provoking collaborations."

MUMBAI: BBC World News will kick off a new season of ?Horizons? on 7 April with an exploration of the future of transport, looking at breakthroughs in the US, China and the UK.

Presented by business journalist Adam Shaw and reporter Saima Mohsin, ?Horizons? continues its journey around the globe, visiting destinations including India, Brazil, China, and the US to discover the scientific and business ideas that could shape the future of the planet.

The first episode takes a look at the question of how we balance a burgeoning global population?s increasing demand for personal mobility with the environmental impact; exploring some of the novel approaches being taken around the world to keep us all on the move.

Shaw said, "We?ve been travelling the world looking for innovative and world-changing solutions to some of the biggest challenges the planet faces today and in our first show we look at some of the more unusual inventions being used globally to keep people moving in major urban areas."

Shaw visits the Fushida Electric Bicycle Company in Tianjin, China to explore how the phenomenon of the electric bicycle has swept the country. With an estimated 120 million electric bikes already in use domestically, Adam discovers how the latest incarnation of the humble bicycle could provide a solution to gridlocked roads in a country with a population already topping the 1 billion mark.

He also travels to the US to investigate a breakthrough in the use of hydrogen fuel and to meet one of the biggest names in the global automotive industry, William Clay Ford Junior. Ford reveals how his vision for a more environmental approach to the future of the car doesn?t necessarily mean giving up on the legacy of his great-grandfather.