DW's Bengali language YouTube show hits growth milestone 

DW's success was partly driven by the coronavirus pandemic and the disinformation that ensued. Users and viewers sought reliable sources of information on the pandemic from trusted broadcasters. DW's focus on providing content tailored to our target audiences and their needs also contributed greatly to the increase in views across DW platforms. Here is one highlight from the month of February 2021.  

Over four million views and 50 million minutes watched 

For the first time since its creation in February 2020, an episode of the YouTube political talk show Khaled Muhiuddin Asks from DW’s Bengali Service hit and surpassed the one million views mark. In the same month, the channel obtained over four million views – also a first for the young and growing channel.  

Every Friday, host Khaled Muhiuddin sits down with two guests and discusses various political topics and current affairs in Bangladesh. In this episode, Muhiuddin and guests Naimul Islam Khan, Editor-in-Chief of the daily Our New Time, and Tasneem Khalil, Editor-in-Chief of Netra News discuss a documentary by Al Jazeera which implicates high ranking officials in corruption scandals within the country. Muhiuddin asks: Is the documentary true, partially true, or false? What is the explanation from the police on accused persons still walking around in public? Is the role of the country's media in question?  

Additionally, in the same month, the channel registered around 50 million minutes watched, a big jump from 15 million, the maximum number of minutes watched obtained prior to this. The channel has over 364,000 subscribers. 

An increase in press freedom violations 

Bangladesh is ranked 152nd out of 180 countries in the 2021 World Press Freedom Index by Reporters without Borders, a further drop from the previous year, effectively placing the country bottom among South Asian countries. According to the media watchdog, self-censorship in the country has reached unprecedented levels due to the increase in press freedom violations, a digital security law with a chilling effect on journalists and harassment from radical Islamist militants. 

Arafatul Islam (left) and Khaled Muhiuddin. Islam is the producer of the show, he also created the structure of its current production format.

On a topic as sensitive as corruption within the high ranks of government, numerous local journalists and media remained silent on this topic for fear of arrest or loss of their jobs. Another episode on the incitement of religious extremism for political gain, extreme police brutality to calm down unarmed protesters and the role of Facebook' popularity in the politics of voting also garnered high numbers. Since its creation, the Bengali-language YouTube show has been filling this gap, providing the politically-aware Bangladeshi audience with reliable information and a platform for discussion.  

DW's Khaled Muhiuddin, a renowned journalist in Bangladesh and beyond, coupled with the show's non-partisan approach to topics and an understanding of the audience have all contributed to the stable growth of the YouTube channel which is currently one of the most popular YouTube channels in Bangladesh.