Skip to main content

BBC Extends Broadband TV Trial

The BBC has announced a two-month extension of the ongoing 5,000 user trial of its integrated Media Player (iMP), a technology which will enable a broadband programming catch-up service that will offer TV and radio programs for seven days after their initial linear broadcast (the trial began in September). The extension means that trial participants will have access to the iMP until February 28th.

The Corporation says that the extension will allow it to gather more reliable data on user needs and on how people use the service: "We really want to understand the benefits that iMP can bring to our audiences," the BBC's Internet controller, Tony Ageh, explained. "We know that there is likely to be a 'honeymoon' period of a few weeks, when our participants are likely to use iMP more often than normal. The data from the extra two months should really help us to comprehend what users want from the service and how they are using it. This will be invaluable for us in making our case to the BBC Board of Governors for a full roll out of iMP."

Around 500 programs are available on the iMP to trial participants every week. The service is based on the BBC's RadioPlayer, which lets viewers listen to a selection of BBC radio programs up to seven days after their broadcast, and on peer-to-peer distribution technology from US-based Kontiki, which is also being used by BSkyB for a broadband programming service.

Digital Rights Management software deletes programs after seven days, and also prevents end-users from emailing programming files to other users or burning them to disks. Geo-IP software will restrict access to the service to UK users; however, the BBC is expected to eventually allow international users to access the service on a pay-per-view basis.

Popular posts from this blog

Mobile Device Market Still Awaiting Recovery

The mobile devices market has experienced three years of unpredictable demand. The global pandemic, geopolitical pressures, supply chain issues, and macroeconomic headwinds have hindered the sector's consistent growth potential. This extremely challenging environment has dramatically affected both demand and supply chains. It has led to subsequent inflationary pressures, leading to a worsening global cost of living crisis suppressing growth and confidence in the sector. In tandem, mobile device industry stakeholders have become more cautious triggering market uncertainties. Mobile Device Market Development Operating under such a backdrop, the development of mobile device ecosystems and vendor landscapes have been impacted severely. Many of these market pressures persisted throughout 2022 and now into 2023, borne chiefly by the smartphone market. According to the latest worldwide market study by ABI Research, worldwide smartphone shipments in 2022 declined 9.6 percent Year-over-Year

Global Digital Business and IT Consulting Outlook

Across the globe, CEOs and their leadership teams continue to seek information and guidance about planned Digital Transformation initiatives and the most effective enterprise organization change management practices. Worldwide IT and Business Services revenue will grow from $1.13 trillion in 2022 to $1.2 trillion in 2023 -- that's a 5.7 percent year-over-year growth, according to the latest market study by International Data Corporation (IDC). The mid-term to long-term outlook for the market has also increased -- the five-year CAGR is forecast at 5.2 percent, compared to the previous 4.9 percent. Digital Sevices & Consulting Market Development IDC has raised the growth projection despite a weak economic outlook, because of vendor performances across 2022, growth indicators from adjacent markets, increased government funding, and inflation impacts. The actual 2022 market growth was 6.7 percent (in constant currency), which was 87 basis points higher than forecast last year, alth

Digital Talent Demand Exceeds Supply in Asia-Pac

Even the savviest CEO's desire for a digital transformation advantage has to face the global market reality -- there simply isn't enough skilled and experienced talent available to meet demand. According to the latest market study by IDC, around 60-80 percent of Asia-Pacific (AP) organizations find it "difficult" or "extremely difficult" to fill many IT roles -- including cybersecurity, software development, and data insight professionals. Major consequences of the skills shortage are increased workload on remaining digital business and IT employees, increased security risks, and loss of "hard-to-replace" critical transformation knowledge. Digital Business Talent Market Development Although big tech companies' layoffs are making headlines, they are not representative of the overall global marketplace. Ongoing difficulty to fill key practitioner vacancies is still among the top issues faced by leaders across industries. "Skills are difficul