BBC Prepares For iPods
By Neil Dodds
20 July, 2006
The BBC has announced plans to prepare broadcast content for distribution on mobile phones, PCs and iPods. "We need a BBC ready for digital, for 360-degree multi-platform content creation," said director general Mark Thompson.
Thompson claims the restructuring will make the corporation "the most creative organisation in the world."
As well as what the Guardian describes as "streamlining decision-making and production", he unveiled proposals designed to encourage "360-degree commissioning" for radio, television, internet and portable devices.
This suggests the BBC's new structure will examine ways of "converging" activities across different media, with an eye on producing content that can be repurposed depending on the user's chosen device.
As part of the restructuring, some departments will be renamed - television will be BBC Vision, radio will be BBC Music and Audio - while new ones designed to lead the corporation into the digital age are planned, including a new Future Media and Technology division, which the Guardian reports will receive a hefty £400 million budget.
It's likely that the BBC will further explore website tie-ins of shows, interactive mobile phone games and possibly downloadable "video on demand" for iPod users. The success of the revived Doctor Who SF series was helped by a website packed with commentaries, games, ring tones and mobile phone wallpaper: Expect an even more concentrated assault for the next season.
The BBC is funded by a licence fee payable by all British television owners. Its British channels do not carry advertising. However, it sells shows abroad, and also raises income via the sale of magazines, books and DVDs. It has been criticised for enjoying an unfair advantage over competing publishers, whose publications, they say, struggle against a state-financed giant. The BBC's news website - Britain's most popular - also enjoys the same funding, leading to complaints from commercial news sites.
UPDATE: The BBC's "convergence" move comes as US broadcaster CBS unveiled its revamped multimedia news offering. From September 5th, the network evening news will be "fanned out" across radio, the web and portable phones. The broadcast website will include on demand videos of expanded interviews.
President of CBS News and Sports Sean McManus told the New York Times, "Our goal on Sept. 5 is that whether you’re in your car, on your computer, commuting, listening on your cell phone, or, God forbid, at home watching television, that the CBS news will be available to you.”
The move follows CNN's plans to release news as downloadable video podcasts or "video blogs" for use on PCs or video players.
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