British Asians are the biggest ethnic group in the UK, numbering over 3 million. Of this group the majority are young people, with around 60% of Pakistani and Bangladeshi Brits and just over 40% of Indians being under 30. The BBC is looking to represent the diverse culture of young British Asians in particular, dispelling the notion that they are a homogenous group and celebrating both the multiple countries of origin and distinct religions of the populations.

The online channel, headed by Damian Kavanagh, is looking to reach “tech savvy” 16-34 year old British Asians who have a higher than average ownership of smartphones and tablets.

Top of the wish list of content is a series of “constructed or observed” shorts set in a precinct. These are aimed at igniting online debate, participation building and ultimately to drive traffic to a live debate show hosted on the Asian Network.

The videos will range from Instagram video pieces of less than three minutes, YouTube and iPlayer series of up to 10 minutes and iPlayer singles of up to 20 minutes.The budget allocated is between £1000 and £1500 per minute for short films and the deadline for proposals is 7 May, with a view to content delivery in early July. Click here to find out more.

Several shows have already been commissioned for broadcast on the BBC’s other channels, with Muslims Like Us star Mehreen Baig presenting a documentary around the challenges that some young Asian British men face. This programme is geared towards the audience that the BBC hopes to engage from the young demographic. Anita Rani will also present a programme about the Bollywood film industry.