BBC Planning To Launch Global iPlayer VoD Service 179
Posted
by
timothy
from the sounds-like-a-plan dept.
from the sounds-like-a-plan dept.
An anonymous reader writes "The BBC is reportedly mulling over plans to come up with an international edition of its hugely popular iPlayer service, in a bid to allow global audiences to catch up with some of its top shows, according to BBC Worldwide, the corporation's profit-making arm. BBC Worldwide said that the move would help revamp its business model, and thereby help the corporation in raking in significant profits through its premium content."
Re:Is it still Windows only? (Score:2, Insightful)
Name one.
$10 per episode? (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:As a British taxpayer... (Score:3, Insightful)
Be careful. They might start trying to pull money from people that have already paid the "taxes" (there is some piece of semantics that makes the tv license not quite a tax). For instance dvds of bbc shows aren't noticebly cheaper than other channels despite the bbc's funding model. It's possible that they might take this route with online content if charging becomes normal for other channels.
Also, I do object to the tv license, mostly because of their marketing department. Junkmail is never welcome but theirs often contains borderline threats. They also have a nasty habbit of sending salesmen to people who ask not to be spammed.
Re:British TV Production (Score:3, Insightful)
As a brit, watching that reminds me of all the is bad about US TV. It's over produced, badly edited, misconstrued action (for dramatic effect), constant 'dramatic' sound track, 'dramatic' voice over, all about the confrontational aspect....
Compare to the UK version and as you say, it's more about the business, more 'factual' there's no dramatic voice-over providing unneeded 'tension'.
It reminds me of the Simpsons episode where Homer 'grabs her can' gummi venus de milo, or something.
Give me this: (Score:5, Insightful)
- Doctor Who and Top Gear :)
- PayPal micro-payment as an alternative to watching ads, or where you can't get any ads for.
- A price that is somewhere in the range of what you'd get from advertisers.
Why that price? Because I know what you get for ads on the web. And those prices are so low per individual viewer, that BBC would still make a better profit, by asking 5 cent per show, or something like that. A price that nobody can ever think of as too expensive.
I would be happy to pay for something that deserves that money.
Comedy Central should do the same with The Daily Show. Come on. Those prices are like nothing! And you still make a hell of a better profit, as when advertising! And people still can choose to watch the ads, if it's not worth money for them.
It's a no-brainer! A win-win!
You could also let us buy a whole season at once. 65 cent for 13 episodes.
Oh, and of course I expect to be able to save it right from the player. Because I can save it anyway (After all, it already had to be transferred to my computer, to be watchable!), and using my Firefox add-on is not even any hassle. But the gesture of letting me save it right in your player, will show a friendliness that crates important sympathies.
P.S.: I'm a bit ill today, and not that fit. so sorry if my sentences look a bit weird to read. ^^ I hope it all makes sense anyway.
Re:Great! (Score:3, Insightful)
Top Gear is very popular in the US; the series and the magazine are well regarded. Your over-generalizing and "fashionable" anti-Americanism is what doesn't go down well.
So, do all of you laugh at the SSC Ultimate Aero? It is currently the world's fastest production automobile. [thesupercars.org] That's nothing to laugh at.
Re:BBC is a weird beastie (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Great! (Score:3, Insightful)
Watch TG review of any american car, with a few exceptions (such as the ford transit van) we think they suck, and it's not just anti-Americanism we really do think you guys make crap cars.
Uh you know that JC owns a FORD GT40, right? Also, if I remember correctly, the F-150 review was of a Lightning which everyone over here thinks is ridiculous, and most of the complaints involved it's size being impractical for the UK. Duh! The road system and fuel prices are dramatically different and cars that work one place don't work in another. I mean I'd be a little bonkers to drive some of the tiny cars that are popular in Europe on an interstate just like you wouldn't try and drive a F-150 through a hamelet...
Re:Forgot the most important part (Score:3, Insightful)
Probably because BBC America isn't the BBC, its a commercial entity set up to screw you out of as much $$ as they can get away with (the American dream, right?). The BBC itself is not allowed to fund any programmes not available to UK viewers, so these corporates have to be legally and organisationally separate, and entirely self-funded.
So the BBC will be selling the full hour episodes to BBC America, which then 'reformats' it for domestic viewing based on the current environment - ie adding loads of ads.
I suppose the trick is to buy video equipment that displays region 2 DVDs, and buy them directly from the UK. Alternatively, write in and complain that you wouldn't mind these programmes being broadcast separately (maybe during the night) in th extended version. We're doing that over here now - programmes like QI are now shown as repeats with extra bits or material that were cut from the original half-hour episode. They're called "QI XL", or "Have I Got a Bit More News For You" and contain another ten minutes or so, so the network isn't adverse to doing this.