A Pakistani media professional has urged Michael Bloomberg to launch Bloomberg Urdu, saying millions of Urdu-speaking audiences worldwide lack access to premium business and financial journalism in their language.
By Imran Malik | Editor-in-Chief, MediaBites.com.pk | Head of Content, Southera.com
Dear Mr. Bloomberg,
I am writing to you with a business idea that I believe deserves serious consideration by the Bloomberg family and its global media leadership.
It is time to launch Bloomberg Urdu.
The Urdu-Speaking World Is Everywhere
Urdu is not a regional language. It is a global one.
Urdu speakers exist on every continent, from Australia to America, from Asia to Africa, from Europe to the Middle East. Pakistan alone has a population of 240 million, the vast majority of whom communicate in Urdu. Add the Pakistani diaspora across the USA, UK, Canada, UAE, Saudi Arabia, and beyond. Add Urdu-speaking communities across India, Bangladesh, and East Africa.
The total Urdu-speaking population globally is estimated at over 230 million people, making it one of the world’s most widely spoken languages. And critically, this is a population that is underserved by quality business and financial journalism in its own language.
The Market Gap Is Real
The world’s major international media organisations have already recognised the Urdu opportunity:
BBC Urdu has operated for decades and remains one of the most trusted news sources for South Asian audiences. Deutsche Welle (DW) Urdu reaches millions across Pakistan and the diaspora. TRT World Urdu has expanded its digital presence significantly. Arab News Urdu covers the Gulf’s enormous South Asian workforce. RT Urdu and Independent Urdu have both entered the market in recent years.
Voice of America Urdu operated for years before its recent closure, demonstrating both the appetite for Urdu-language international journalism and the risk of underinvesting in it.
What is conspicuously missing from this landscape is premium business and financial journalism in Urdu. BBC Urdu covers news. DW Urdu covers current affairs. But nobody is doing for Urdu what Bloomberg does for English.
That is the white space. That is the Bloomberg Urdu opportunity.
What Bloomberg Urdu Could Be
The proposition is straightforward. A dedicated Bloomberg Urdu digital platform delivering:
Bloomberg’s world-class business news, financial analysis, and market intelligence translated and localised into Urdu for a global audience that currently has no premium equivalent.
Original Urdu-language reporting on Pakistan’s economy, South Asian markets, Gulf business developments, and the financial affairs of the global Urdu-speaking diaspora.
Features, interviews, and long-form journalism covering the entrepreneurs, investors, and business leaders of the Urdu-speaking world.
A digital-first platform optimised for mobile, social media, and the consumption habits of a young, globally connected Urdu-speaking audience.
Why Now
Pakistan’s economy, despite its current challenges, is one of the most closely watched emerging markets in Asia. The Pakistani diaspora sends billions of dollars in remittances annually, making them among the most financially active migrant communities in the world. Gulf-based Pakistani and South Asian professionals number in the millions.
This is a financially literate, business-curious, globally mobile audience that currently reads Bloomberg in English because there is no Bloomberg in their language.
Give them Bloomberg Urdu and they will come.
Let’s Start the Conversation
I am not simply suggesting an idea. I am offering to be part of making it happen. My background in Urdu and English journalism, digital content strategy, and international media positions me to contribute meaningfully to this conversation.
Mr. Bloomberg, your media organisation changed how the world consumes business news in English. Bloomberg Urdu could do the same for 230 million people who have been waiting for exactly this.
Let us begin the discussion and see where it leads.
Imran Malik
Editor-in-Chief, MediaBites.com.pk
Head of Content, Southera.com (Walee Group)
Founder, SharjahNews UAE and UrduExpress Pakistan
MBA Marketing | BA Journalism | Diploma Filmmaking, NYFA USA
Member, ONA (USA) | Member, WAN-IFRA (Germany)
📧 imran.mayamedia@gmail.com
📞 +92-300-8421191
🌐 mediabites.com.pk
