Agencybbc.co.ukBBC Media Action
Formerly: BBC World Service Trust
- Kind
- Public health specialist
- Parent
- BBC (charity, independently funded)
- Country
- GB, IN, NG, BD, KH
- Website
- https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediaaction
- Clients
- Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation · UK Department for International Development · Government of India Ministry of Health and Family Welfare · Government of Bihar · National AIDS Control Organisation (India) · UNICEF
Campaigns (5)
| Campaign | Client | Year | Topic | Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kilkari maternal messaging PubMed abstract: 'Developed by BBC Media Action'. Started in Bihar 2012 under the Gates-funded Ananya / Shaping Demand and Practices project; handed to government 2019. Fetched 2026-10-22. | Government of India Ministry of Health and Family Welfare / Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation | 2012 | Maternal health | Creative |
| Condom Condom (condom a cappella ringtone) lead Condom normalisation for men in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu; launched Dec 2007, ringtone phase Aug 2008. afaqs: client/producer BBC World Service Trust, creative director Radharani Mitra, production Black Magic Films (dir. Arjun Gourisaria), media Madison, funded by Avahan. Comminit: Bronze Lion (Media) Cannes 2009; organisers claim 150 million men reached over two years; PSI ran the linked hotline; no behavioural outcome reported. Fetched 2026-10-22. | Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (Avahan) | 2008 | HIV/STI | Creative |
| Haath Se Haath Mila (HIV/AIDS reality series) lead Weekly reality series on DD National following young HIV-awareness 'yuva stars' meeting Hindi film stars; created and formatted by Anu Malhotra. Part of the Trust's 2001-2007 DFID-funded India HIV mass media campaign (search snippet only for the DFID funding and $22.8m cost). Spelled 'Mila' on the source page. Fetched 2026-10-22. | National AIDS Control Organisation / Doordarshan | 2006 | HIV/STI | Creative |
| Mobile Kunji and Mobile Academy (Ananya, Bihar) lead Audio-visual job aid and dial-in training course for frontline health workers, co-designed by BBC Media Action with the Government of Bihar, 2011-2019 project. BBC Media Action authors report Mobile Kunji exposure associated with improved knowledge and practices (birth preparedness, IFA, exclusive breastfeeding); Mobile Academy qualitative study PMID 35701061. Fetched 2026-10-22. | Government of Bihar / Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation | Maternal health | Creative | |
| Taste of Life (Rous Cheat Chivit) lead TV drama set in a nursing college and teaching hospital; HIV/AIDS, sexual and reproductive health, maternal and child health. Mid-term survey of 2,280 viewers/listeners: 67% of TV viewers had watched it (reach only). Years not on the page (mid-2000s). Fetched 2026-10-22. | Cambodia (DFID partner; UNICEF-funded photo-strip magazine) | HIV/STI | Creative |
Research notes
Founded 1999 as BBC World Service Trust, renamed December 2011; UK charity no. 1076235 funded by grants, not the licence fee (Wikipedia, fetched 2026-10-22). A media-development charity that produces drama, reality TV, mobile services and spots in-house; 'public-health-specialist' is the closest agency kind (it also works on governance and resilience), see report gap. Leads not yet sourced: Nigeria 'Story Story' radio drama, Ethiopia and Bangladesh health work, Sierra Leone Ebola radio (SMAC consortium, PMID 32830128 lists a BBC Media Action author only). Credits fetched from source pages 2026-10-22 unless stated.
Sources
Record agencies/bbc-media-action.json, updated 2026-10-22