Rachel_Sandford
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BBC iPlayer has just gone International!
Launched on Thursday, July 28, the international version of the Beeb's on-demand service is now available in 11 European countries, namely Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, The Republic of Ireland, The Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and Switzerland. This is the first phase of a programme that intends to make the service available in the United States.
“This launch is an important route to market in our strategy of pursuing multiple platforms for our programmes and brands, taking British programmes to new digital audiences around the world,” said John Smith, chief executive of BBC Worldwide.
BBC Global iPlayer went live with 1,500 hours of content. It offers archived BBC material and programmes that have aired on the Beeb in the last seven days. This is unlike the UK version, which offers a seven-day catch up, access to the 10 BBC channels, and access to BBC radio. Also unlike the UK version, which only streams over Wi-Fi, the international version can be streamed via Wi-Fi and 3G. The international version also lets users download and save shows into their iPads for offline use.
On why the Global iPlayer is different from the one enjoyed in the UK, Jana Bennett, BBC Worldwide's president of Worldwide Networks and Global iPlayer said “The app is only offering the best of BBC's content.”
The “best of BBC's content” includes shows like Fawlty Towers, Pride and Prejudice, Only Fools and Horses, Doctor Who, Eastenders, Panorama, and the story of the Royal Family. Apart from this, around a hundred hours of new content will be added every month. International viewers will be able to find shows by looking at BBC's list of genres or via the app's homepage, which will feature a different show everyday.
Mark Smith, Global iPlayer launch director said: “Over time, the product will evolve to include more social features, allowing users to recommend content to each other based on their likes and dislikes on sites like Facebook...but for now we have included Twitter and Facebook buttons, so people can tell people what they are watching when they are viewing it.”
In her statement, Bennett also said: “We have an exciting vision for what this service could become and will develop it based on feedback from within the markets.”
At present, Global iPlayer is available on iPad only, in BBC's attempt to target the media savvy age group (25-40 years old). However, Bennett expects that it will be made available on iPhones before the end of the year. The app is also only available for free download via iTunes, though viewing itself isn't free. Viewers can opt to pay €6.99 (£6.11) per month, or €49.99 for an annual subscription, compared to those in the UK, who pay £12.15 for a monthly license fee. Any free content, which can include short tasters of shows and some full-length programmes, will all be sponsored around the app, and will include display advertising as part of iPlayers commercial venture.
With 30% of the proceeds going to Apple, Bennett told interviewers that the corporation hopes to make a profit “within five years.” They intend to use the proceeds to produce new content, as well as to support the license fee. Bennett also told interviewers that they expect there is a strong expat market for the product. “I am keen to build bespoke journeys using BBC content to best appeal to different international audiences,” she said. “This could mean when a UK news story happens, such as the death of Amy Winehouse, we could put together a montage of the BBC's back catalogue, differently tailored for each country, out via the app.”
Launched on Thursday, July 28, the international version of the Beeb's on-demand service is now available in 11 European countries, namely Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, The Republic of Ireland, The Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and Switzerland. This is the first phase of a programme that intends to make the service available in the United States.
“This launch is an important route to market in our strategy of pursuing multiple platforms for our programmes and brands, taking British programmes to new digital audiences around the world,” said John Smith, chief executive of BBC Worldwide.
BBC Global iPlayer went live with 1,500 hours of content. It offers archived BBC material and programmes that have aired on the Beeb in the last seven days. This is unlike the UK version, which offers a seven-day catch up, access to the 10 BBC channels, and access to BBC radio. Also unlike the UK version, which only streams over Wi-Fi, the international version can be streamed via Wi-Fi and 3G. The international version also lets users download and save shows into their iPads for offline use.
On why the Global iPlayer is different from the one enjoyed in the UK, Jana Bennett, BBC Worldwide's president of Worldwide Networks and Global iPlayer said “The app is only offering the best of BBC's content.”
The “best of BBC's content” includes shows like Fawlty Towers, Pride and Prejudice, Only Fools and Horses, Doctor Who, Eastenders, Panorama, and the story of the Royal Family. Apart from this, around a hundred hours of new content will be added every month. International viewers will be able to find shows by looking at BBC's list of genres or via the app's homepage, which will feature a different show everyday.
Mark Smith, Global iPlayer launch director said: “Over time, the product will evolve to include more social features, allowing users to recommend content to each other based on their likes and dislikes on sites like Facebook...but for now we have included Twitter and Facebook buttons, so people can tell people what they are watching when they are viewing it.”
In her statement, Bennett also said: “We have an exciting vision for what this service could become and will develop it based on feedback from within the markets.”
At present, Global iPlayer is available on iPad only, in BBC's attempt to target the media savvy age group (25-40 years old). However, Bennett expects that it will be made available on iPhones before the end of the year. The app is also only available for free download via iTunes, though viewing itself isn't free. Viewers can opt to pay €6.99 (£6.11) per month, or €49.99 for an annual subscription, compared to those in the UK, who pay £12.15 for a monthly license fee. Any free content, which can include short tasters of shows and some full-length programmes, will all be sponsored around the app, and will include display advertising as part of iPlayers commercial venture.
With 30% of the proceeds going to Apple, Bennett told interviewers that the corporation hopes to make a profit “within five years.” They intend to use the proceeds to produce new content, as well as to support the license fee. Bennett also told interviewers that they expect there is a strong expat market for the product. “I am keen to build bespoke journeys using BBC content to best appeal to different international audiences,” she said. “This could mean when a UK news story happens, such as the death of Amy Winehouse, we could put together a montage of the BBC's back catalogue, differently tailored for each country, out via the app.”