Tag: BBC Trust

BBC watchdog calls for a break on the corporation's online activities

Against a background of criticism of the BBC by commercial media rivals which have struggled to monetise online content, Lyons has told the corporation it needs to restructure its online content or face the consequences. The alternative could see a radical restructure forced on the BBC by a future government which may have close links to media owners.

"Beyond the core offer of news, sport, education, children's and the iPlayer, which parts of the online service are essential to the BBC's mission and which could be stopped?" asks Lyons inthe report. He also questioned the future of content not tethered to specific BBC programmes.

Shiny Media

BBC Trust blocks plans for iPlayer sharing

According to Paid Content, the BBC Trust is blocking plans for sharing the iPlayer.

In a September 29 proposal that wasn’t made public, BBC executives said it wanted to create a company to license the VOD (Video on Demand) service to public sector companies. But the BBC Trust – the Beeb’s regualator which is supposed to look after the interests of the licence payer – is blocking the proposal.

The report concluded “that the open iPlayer plans in their proposed form, combining both commercial and public service elements, were too complicated. We were not convinced that there was enough potential value to licence fee payers in the public service part of the proposal, and we have therefore rejected the BBC executive’s proposals for an open iPlayer federation.

The BBC first proposed sharing the iPlayer in December 2008. In its wide-ranging Digital Britain consultation submission it proposed UK public sector broadcast partnerships which it claimed could save counterparts £120 million by 2014.

Via Paid Content

Shinychris Internet