The BBC might be somewhat of a staid UK institution, but perhaps not for long. Paid Content suggests that the media group is planning on launching a new download-to-own service, pitting itself against iTunes in the process.
The report suggests that the BBC is soon to launch a service that allows users to download shows from its huge back catalogue for around $US3 a time.
While about seven per cent of the BBC’s back catalogue is already licensed through BBC Worldwide, that leaves a huge amount of content left — which the BBC plans to make available. According to Paid Content, the BBC also plans to pass on around $US0.6 from each download to producers in order to help fund original programming.
It’s not clear how this would be rolled out around the world, and it’s likely that in the first instance it would be trialled in the UK, but with a wealth of fine-quality programming stretching back decades, it’s a project worth keeping an eye on. [Paid Content via Gizmodo UK]
Image: m0gky