The BBC one of the world’s biggest broadcasters has said that the Internet will become the main way that TV programmes are distributed to viewers in the future and that the distribution of an iPlayer type services delivered via a set top box will be the way that consumers in the future will watch TV.
The BBC one of the world’s biggest broadcasters has said that the Internet will become the main way that TV programmes are distributed to viewers in the future and that the distribution of an iPlayer type services delivered via a set top box will be the way that consumers watch TV.
The BBC iPlayer is a service that is available via a TV with Internet access a website, cable television, iPhone, iPod Touch, Sony Ericsson C905 and Nokia N96 mobile phone. It was developed by the BBC to extend its existing RealPlayer-based “Radio Player” and other streamed video clip content.
The BBC iPlayer went live on 25 December 2007. To see it go to iPlayer.
Currently available in the UK the service could easily be made available to Australian consumers.
The BBC who owns a vast amount of original content has also said that Freeview which is already available in the UK is not working because it is restrictive. As an example they say “Freeview is already failing to offer the full range of BBC television and radio services,” it added.
Ina submission to the BBC Trust, BBC management has said that households that do not subscribe to pay television services risk falling behind”.
Plans to take an iPlayer-type service to TV sets are currently being scrutinised by the BBC Trust. What is not known is whether these services will be available in Australia via a new BBC subscription service with some BBC programmes being made available free of charge?
Currently the BBC sells selective programs to free to air TV stations and Foxtel in Australia. However TV programs that are not being sold in Australia could be made available to Australian consumers via a BBC iPlayer.
From April onwards several vendors including Sony, Samsung, Sharp and Panasonic will start launching TV with their own electronic program guide, as well as content delivered via widgets. Some of these TV’s will also have an Ethernet port which in the future will allow consumers to instantly access a BBC iPlayer and access global content on their TV’s in Australia.
In its own coverage of the issue the BBC say that they want to produce set-top boxes that can go online to access on-demand TV services such as the iPlayer and ITVplayer.
The BBC’s Project Canvas aims to bring together many broadcasters as well as ISPs and web firms such as YouTube to back a common technology that will make all the content accessible via the TV set-top box.
The initial devices are expected to be set-top boxes, with a net connection, that could cost up to $300.
The public – and any other interested parties – are being invited by the BBC Trust to contribute to its two-stage consultation process.
Subject to approval, Project Canvas is due to launch in 2010. The consultation comes in the wake of a decision by the UK Competition Commission to block the creation of an on-demand video service, known as Project Kangaroo.
The service proposed to make available current TV shows from Channel 4 and ITV as well as archived material from the BBC. Declaring that Project Kangaroo “has to be stopped”, the Competition Commission said viewers would be better served by having the three broadcasters as “close competitors” rather than collaborators.
The consultation comes in the wake of a decision by the UK Competition Commission to block the creation of an on-demand video service, known as Project Kangaroo.
The service proposed to make available current TV shows from Channel 4 and ITV as well as archived material from the BBC.
Declaring that Project Kangaroo “has to be stopped”, the Competition Commission said viewers would be better served by having the three broadcasters as “close competitors” rather than collaborators.
