BBC App, Where’s the News in That?
This weekend I eagerly downloaded the new, international iPlayer app from the BBC. In the back of mind, I was wondering if this would be the first real challenge to my cable subscription.
I live in Holland, where, albeit an hour out, I can watch BBC1 and BBC2 via cable. I can listen to all BBC radio stations over the Internet and even watch the one minute news updates and video via their website. All good stuff, however, the iPlayer led me to believe I would have it all in one place, all in my control. No such luck.
As the surprise wore off, the reality dawned that there is absolutely no news on the BBC international iPlayer. I looked and looked again, thinking it must be there someone, but it wasn’t. But it makes no sense not to stream the BBC News channel! Not only would it get me using the app more but it would bring the experience more in line with my expectations.
Working with operators in the chaos of going OTT, I appreciate the complexity surrounding programming rights and creating services for multiple platforms, devices and markets, and I think the BEEB have done a fantastic job with the iPlayer UX. Their catalogue is impressive and the price point reasonable, however, I remain baffled as to why there is no news.
Boasting record profits (The company’s 2010/2011 annual review shows a double-digit rise in headline profit – up 10.3% to US$255 million), the company is bound to reap rewards from taking such classics such as Absolutely Fabulous, or top properties like Top Gear and Doctor Who (with more than 11.8 million fans on Facebook) online, and I for one will be watching to see where they go with their multi-screen strategy. However, something is still missing, so I will be watching, and waiting for news.
- Vanessa Vigar
You can follow Vanessa on Twitter @Vigarv
