Date: Tuesday, February 26, 2008

BBC to Sell Programmes on iTunes

Fans of BBC TV shows such as Torchwood, Doctor Who and Eastenders will soon be able to download some of their favourite programmes from iTunes and watch them on their iPods, mobile phones or home computers.

Most BBC programmes are already available to watch online for a week after transmission thanks to the corporation’s iPlayer service. However, the iTunes deal will provide viewers with the facility to download programmes for a small fee, then save them to their computer and watch them again repeatedly in the future.

The BBC’s iTunes announcement coincided with the unveiling of viewing figures for their newly-launched iPlayer. The figures indicated that so-called ‘anytime, anywhere’ TV viewing was on the up, as half a million programmes are currently watched on iPlayer every single day. Ashley Highfield, who is director of future media and technology at the BBC, believes that a large chunk of BBC viewers are now choosing to watch shows online. He said: "This is early days, but we think an extra 10 per cent of all viewing of programmes like Torchwood is being done online." The iPlayer has also had positive impact on the BBC website as a whole, causing traffic to increase by a whopping 29 per cent. This recent boost in users has made it the third most popular website in Britain.

However, the BBC’s deal with iTunes is certainly not all good news. It will cost iTunes users in the UK around £1.89 to download an episode of the Mighty Boosh, Torchwood or another BBC TV show, while users in the USA can download TV programmes for just $1.99 (about £1). Despite these obvious differences in price, Oliver Schusser, director of iTunes Europe, believes it is justifiable. He said: "Different countries have different pricing models. The UK price factors in VAT, which is not the case elsewhere."

Source:

Guardian

Times