BBC Content Going Mobile And Headed To BlackBerry
By
Bla1ze on 18 Feb 2010 05:32 am
Yesterday, as Mobile World Congress was winding down Erik Huggers, BBC Director of Future Media & Technology held a keynote speech declaring the BBC was taking it's content to the smartphone market. Indicating that BBC users were also smartphone users and the BBC was dedicated to providing those users with the content they wanted on their mobile devices. Starting with the iPhone, the BBC will be releasing multiple applications including BBC News and BBC Sport among others.
The demo shown off was for the iPhone and will arrive in early April with the BlackBerry and Android versions to come later in the year. Huggers also sated that the BBC was also working on dedicated iPlayer applications as well which could deliver great video content but also made metnion that the iPlayer services are currently available now in a mobile optimized fashion of which, the BlackBerry 9700 and Storm 2 are supported for those in the UK. Great to see the BBC recognize the simple fact that mobile subscribers is massive I just hope they also realize that market lives beyond the UK and considers widespread releases.
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Yandar Feb 18, 2010 at 5:52 am
#*@ iphone first as usual
Vagrant_1 Feb 18, 2010 at 6:26 am
I'm so sick of iphone always getting first shots at apps
Vagrant_1 Feb 18, 2010 at 6:28 am
Tired of iphone getting first dibs on apps
st_temps Feb 18, 2010 at 6:39 am
When it is finally launched it will be fantastic! Live F1 and all live football that the BBC Broadcast!
adrianyoung Feb 18, 2010 at 6:52 am
For some reason iplayer isn't working on my 9700. I downloaded the shortcut and it just says that my device isn't supported. I've tried going directly to bbc.co.uk/iplayer but it doesn't recognise the wifi saying that to use 3g you have to be on 3 or vodafone (which I'm not). Has anyone got this to work at all?
adrianyoung Feb 18, 2010 at 6:57 am
Got it to work now. My browser was set to 'Internet Explorer' rather than 'BlackBerry' for some reason. Takes ages to buffer though.
The Gift Feb 18, 2010 at 7:07 am
*By the way that was sarcasm if you didnt catch it*...
This is the problem I talked about in my thread in the Storm2 forum. http://forums.crackberry.com/f145/i-m-starting-get-frustrated-where-s-st...
Blackberry phones and other smartphones but MAINLY blackerry Storm users always gets ignored or left until last for any new apps.
What gives.. I'm sure the bbc had a working iPlayer app on the iPhone ages ago.
monkfromwes Feb 18, 2010 at 8:14 am
For God's sakes guys, learn how to spell.
it's = it is
its = possessive
The phrase should read "BBC was taking its content to the...."
Azothyran Feb 19, 2010 at 12:13 am
If you want to get really technical, then I should point out that they don't understand grammar, not spelling. The common mistake of "its vs. it's" is a grammar mistake, and has nothing to do with spelling. Just thought I'd correct your correction.
Skeevecr Feb 18, 2010 at 9:01 am
" Great to see the BBC recognize the simple fact that mobile subscribers is massive I just hope they also realize that market lives beyond the UK and considers widespread releases."
If they are massive then they should probably try and be a bit more mobile. :-)
As far as widespread releases, you can actually listen to the radio content online worldwide barring things like live sport, its just the television that is regionally restricted.
Incidentally, the iplayer system is paid for by the uk television license and any additional licensing costs for worldwide rights wouldn't actually make sense for them as its not like they even make money from advertising unlike the equally regionally restricted offerings from Hulu etc.
icebox93 Feb 18, 2010 at 10:36 am
They don't allow users from elsewhere to use the iplayer on the web, so I don't see why they'd bother with the mobile app either. True, iplayer is paid for by UK tv licenses, but then why not develop a license fee for non-UK users and allow them to pay if they like? Or an app fee? It's not that hard. UK and considers widespread releases.
Skeevecr Feb 18, 2010 at 10:08 pm
You can use iplayer for radio outside the uk so hopefully they will produce an app for that reason.
Hopefully in time they will be allowed to be more progressive when it comes to things like this, but being a publically-funded broadcaster they have limits on what they are allowed to do commercially due to the detrimental effect it could have on the commercial tv networks in the uk.
More to the point, here's hoping all content producers eventually become more globally aware then maybe we can all use our iplayer, kindle, hulu etc. apps wherever we are so the consumer is happy and less illegal downloading takes place so the content producers are also happier.
devmountain Mar 5, 2010 at 6:20 am
It wouldn't be the first time that a provider hasn't catered for people in different countries.
I get very frustrated about the number of apps that don't work outside the US and from reading other posts the situation in Asiapac is worse!
;-)
montage Feb 18, 2010 at 12:14 pm
I posted that the mobile site was working for the 9700 uk users last week... An app would be good only if it allowed downloading programs.. If not why bother just go to site.. Here's to waiting till "later on this year" aka sometime in 2011
BBThemes Feb 18, 2010 at 1:59 pm
nice to see the BBC adding to the datapocalypse lol, saying that it was nice to watch some iplayer in work earlier on my storm2, just wish tvcatchup.com would support blackberry phones for live streaming
st_temps Feb 19, 2010 at 4:41 am
There's a bit of opposition building against this ....
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8522441.stm
RolfWeber Feb 19, 2010 at 9:25 pm
Downloaded all four BBC apps onto my 9700 and impressed. Watched good quality live TV and recorded streams on iPlayer albeit on WiFi. Need to try it on 3G although the website reckons I shouldn't have a problem. Already have SKY TV which also works a treat on my 9700 so tons of live TV available. Network: Vodafone UK