When I was at uni I imagined a TV system where no channels existed, and you simply picked a program to watch without having to wait for it to start. A couple of years later, NTL:Telewest made this a reality when they launched their Teleport service (now called On-Demand), and now three years later you can get it on your phone, but for real this time, not in a “isn’t it nice but no-one will use it” kind of way.
While I was at uni, not going to clubs, getting slaughtered or missing lectures, I learned a lot about the Big British Castle (as Adam & Joe call it) and really grew to respect this massive corporation. Yes I’m concerned by the ongoing threat of service cuts and yes it would be nice it their podcasts contained more original content rather than just “best of the week” stuff, but when it comes to online media they’re streets ahead of any other broadcaster in the world.
In mid-to-late 2007 the BBC unveiled the iPlayer in all its shiny pink and black glory. I took part in the test run back in 2005 and my, hasn’t our baby grown? Then in early ’08 they announced they were to make many of their shows available from the iTunes store (spit, spit).
Obviously this is all ”because of the unique way the BBC is funded” and its erstwhile public service remit, but that doesn’t stop them being jolly good at web stuff! Take for example the iPlayer: at the moment you need a PC and a decent Internet connection to catch up on the week’s TV and radio, but the Beeb are changing that, not only by bringing the iPlayer to Virgin Media (what? no Sky? boo hoo) but by making it available on the iPhone and iPod Touch, and on other devices like the PlayStation and Xbox in the coming months.
If I weren’t a Virgin Media customer I’d be quite excited by the prospect of having UK TV content on my Xbox (and I don’t mean the stuff that winds up on Dave), as it’s already a great platform for downloadable video, but am more anxious to be able to download and watch BBC stuff on the move with my iPod Classic without having to use iTunes (I like Winamp: it works with an iPod and isn’t evil).
Nitpicking aside, this news coupled with rumours of a merger of on-demand services between the BBC, ITV and Channel 4, makes for exciting times. The only question is, in a few years’ time, will the Beeb have much content to distribute via their fancy new services except reruns of Dog Borstal and Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps?
The other thing to mention of course is that, if Murdock can lift his fat arse out of his money-counting sofa and put a rocket up Sky’s overpriced and overhyped rump, we can kiss goodbye to TV recorders because it’ll all be available whenever we want it. Super, smashing [pause, rewind], smashing [fast-forward], great.