Tag: BBC
Opinion: Pulling ads from BNP Facebook pages is absurd
Jonathan Weinberg writes…
Just a week ago I called on advertisers to think more deeply about which websites they want their brands to be associated with. It came as a response to the Panorama BBC investigation into violent beatings and fights being filmed by youngsters and posted on the popular websites in the name of entertainment.
And now, it seems the money men are sitting up and taking notice. Obviously, I don’t – and can’t – claim the credit for that but I’m not sure I want to in this case, because on this one, I actually think they’ve got it wrong.
A few days ago Vodafone and First Direct, two of the UK’s leading firms, decided to withdraw their advertising from Facebook because it might end up appearing on pages run by the British National Party. Now we can debate the BNP’s stance all day and night but the fact remains they are a legitimate political party able to stand in council and general elections…
BBC's iPlayer signs up 120k beta testers in its first week
According to the BBC, 120,000 people downloaded its iPlayer TV catch-up application in its first week of beta testing, with 105,000 of those activating it. That’s impressive figures, although as a sour grapes merchant, I wonder how many people would’ve downloaded iPlayer if it worked on a wider range of computers.
Opinion: BBC iPlayer's platform restrictions are a joke
Stuart Dredge writes…
I was going to write a proper in-depth review of the BBC’s new iPlayer catch-up TV service, which launched in beta on Friday. But then I found out my PC is too new. Yeah, I know. I can finally run Second Life and play Football Manager with a few leagues running at once, but I can’t use iPlayer.
Opinion: I Facebook therefore I am… but when did it get so complicated?
Andy Merrett writes…
Oh no, not another opinion piece about Facebook?
Yes, Facebook is now almost as ubiquitously talked about in non-geek circles as the iPhone or the iPod, or Potter’s latest escapades.
Irritating isn’t it?
Oh sure, Facebook is now the fastest growing social network for over-25s in the UK (much to the disgust of their kids, I imagine), but when did it start getting complicated?
No, the system’s not technically difficult to use – that’s the whole point and is why you shouldn’t really be taken aback when your gran adds you as a friend, however wrong that might feel socially.
What’s more complicated is managing all these pesky applications.
Is the BBC really porting its iPlayer to iPhone?
That’s what Engadget Mobile is reporting, based on a promotional video for iPlayer that appears to show the BBC’s catch-up TV service working on an iPhone.
BBC iPlayer: yet another "TV highlights over the Net" service launches – how about some nostalgia?
Andy Merrett writes…
The BBC has announced that an open beta trial of its iPlayer will launch next month. It joins Channel 4’s 4oD service — reportedly doing quite well — for those who want to sit at their PCs and watch highlights of the last week’s TV.
Stuart has already extolled the virtues of “Telly 2.0”. BT are heavily marketing their Vision service, and 4oD can be accessed via BT Vision and Virgin Media.
Are the BBC slow off the mark? When the beta launches next month, it’ll be for a select band of Windows XP users only, with other versions potentially rolling out over the following months. Having said that, Channel 4 still have licensing and technical issues with protecting their content – their excuse for not getting the service to work with Macs (or indeed, any other non-Windows system).
2007 Tech Trends No. 1: Telly 2.0
First in a series of posts highlighting Tech Digest’s pick of big technology trends for the second half of 2007…
Let’s get one thing clear first. Online TV ISN’T about watching TV on your PC. Well, it is at the moment, because most of the people doing it are geeks like you and me. But in the long term, online TV is about delivering TV through your broadband connection to a proper TV in your living room, bedroom or wherever.
BBC, ITV and Channel 4 take on Joost and iTunes with 'Project Kangaroo'
Online TV is going to be a battleground in the next couple of years, with the established broadcasters figuring out whether they should go it alone with their own streaming and on-demand services, or join up with Web 2.0 startups like Joost and Babelgum.
NMK 2007: BBC admits it can learn a lot from YouTube and social media
Today’s NMK 2007 conference in London saw a panel session on ‘Media, Publishing and Advertising: Old Guard, New Tricks’ which discussed how Big Media is facing up to the challenges and opportunities of social media.
Today on Tech Digest: HTC Touch phone, DS v PSP, iPhone GPS rumours and more…
THE BIG THREE Video interview: HTC on their new Touch iPhone-rival DS games are "fantastic" says, er, Sony VP Does the iPhone have GPS built in? THE NEXT FIFTEEN Apple updates MacBook Pro Air your views on the BBC's HDTV…
