BBC in technology-sharing scheme

11 December 2008 01:59pm

The BBC has launched a series of ideas to share its technology which could generate more than £120 million a year by 2014 for the commercial sector.

The proposals include sharing the BBC's hugely successful iPlayer with other broadcasters and bringing it to television sets.

The proposals cover the production, distribution and exploitation of content.

One of the BBC's partnerships - to develop a common industry approach to delivering on demand and internet services to televisions - is already being promoted by a group that includes the BBC, ITV and BT.

Other proposals include helping to support regional news outside the corporation; BBC Worldwide working with other broadcasters to develop new revenue and the BBC sharing technology and research and development to create a digital production standard.

The BBC said that Deloitte research indicates that the partnerships, if approved by the BBC Trust and supported by others, could generate more than £120 million a year by 2014 of benefits to public service broadcasting (PSB) beyond the BBC.

The announcement comes at a time when Ofcom is carrying out a review into PSB which is due to come to a conclusion in the New Year. The BBC developed the proposals following a challenge to do so from the BBC Trust in June.

They include a public service iPlayer offering the initiative beyond the BBC; internet services to the television working closely with ITV and BT to enable audiences to enjoy a range of on demand and interactive services via the TV set including the iPlayer; and opening up access to regional audio-visual content and broadcasting facilities.

The BBC is also exploring options for sharing regional news footage and premises where appropriate to support provisions beyond the BBC and sharing digital production technology to allow a common industry approach to producing, sharing and editing digital content.

Discussions are also under way to explore a series of commercial areas of co-operation between BBC Worldwide and Channel Four.

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