Trust Approves BBC’s Download Plans

Link: Trust Approves BBC’s Download Plans
Filed under: IPTV News, Internet News

The BBC Trust has given initial approval to the BBC’s plans to provide popular programmes online, and make them available for viewers to download up to a week after they are broadcast.

Full approval of the on-demand plans is expected after a two-month public consultation period.

After the consultation period, the BBC is expected to launch the iPlayer - software which allows audiences to watch or download any programme from the last seven days.

The BBC Trust is an independent body which replaced the BBC’s governors at the beginning of 2007. Although it said that the download plans would be of significant public value, it also agreed with Ofcom’s concerns that the iPlayer could have negatively impact commercial rivals.

Because of these concerns the Trust imposed a number of conditions on the service, including scaling back plans to let downloaded episodes remain on users’ hard drives for 13 weeks. The Trusts wants this reduced to 30 days.

Some programmes, such as ‘landmark series’ like Planet Earth, may be able to remain on a viewer’s computer for longer periods via a feature called series stacking.

Every episode of a “stacked” series would be available until a week after transmission of the final instalment.
The Trust also wants parental controls introduced to its on-demand services in order to protect children.

It also advised that audio books and classical music should be excluded from the download service.

Final approval of the service is expected by 2 May.