BBC Launches Myanmar News Channel After VOA Shutdown

[geovalin]

 

 

The BBC has stepped in to fill a critical news void in Myanmar, launching a satellite channel in Burmese following the collapse of US-backed broadcasts and a devastating earthquake.

 

The new BBC News Burmese channel, to be delivered via the Thaicom 6 satellite, comes just weeks after Donald Trump’s administration abruptly ended funding for Voice of America (VOA), silencing one of Myanmar’s few remaining independent news sources. The BBC will now take over VOA’s former satellite slot to reach audiences left cut off during a time of crisis.

 

The move follows a catastrophic 7.7-magnitude earthquake near Mandalay in March that killed over 3,000 people. In the days that followed, digital traffic to the BBC’s Burmese service surged, highlighting the desperate demand for reliable information.

 

“In Myanmar, where press freedom is severely restricted and a brutal conflict rages, we now have an audience also devastated by natural disaster,” said Jonathan Munro, deputy chief executive of BBC News. “This service will offer vital, trusted reporting to those trying to rebuild their lives.”

 

The new channel will feature BBC television, radio, and digital content in Burmese, and provide QR code access to its wider online coverage. It’s aimed at a population that has long relied on foreign broadcasters to access independent journalism amid increasing state censorship.

 

VOA, historically one of the world’s most prominent public service broadcasters, ceased its Myanmar satellite transmissions just before the quake. The Trump administration has accused it of spreading “radical propaganda,” despite its legacy of countering authoritarian disinformation since World War II. Although a US judge has since ordered funding to be restored, its long-term future remains uncertain.

 

The BBC’s intervention underscores growing concerns over access to impartial news in one of the world’s least free media environments—Myanmar ranks 171st out of 180 countries for press freedom. Former VOA contributor Sithu Aung Myint is currently serving a 12-year sentence under charges of “anti-state” reporting.

 

While the BBC’s move is widely welcomed, it comes at a cost. The World Service, already under financial strain since the Foreign Office stopped funding it in 2014, now faces fresh pressure to sustain its global reach with dwindling resources.

 

Nonetheless, for thousands in Myanmar reeling from tragedy and isolation, the BBC’s return to satellite broadcasting offers a rare and urgently needed lifeline of truth.

 

-2025-04-25

[KannikaP]

Why is the country called Myanmar, and the language still Burmese?