I was vaguely confused by reading this story in the Telegraph about the BBC's long-trailed but rarely seen iPlayer. Why? Because it claims it's going to compete with iTunes. According to the article:
BBC Worldwide, the commercial arm of the BBC, has unveiled ambitious plans to compete with music and video download service iTunes.
The iPlayer has been developed by the BBC itself, and is expected to be approved by the BBC Trust later this spring. It will fulfil a public-service remit by giving UK licence-fee payers a seven-day "window" to catch up with BBC shows online, but Mr Smith said that BBC Worldwide also wanted to generate revenue with advertiser-funded content and pay-for downloads.
I very much doubt that will ever be a competitor to iTunes, just as the fact that the BBC sells videos of Little Britain has yet to displace HMV from the high street. But I suppose I know what they're getting at.
However, it's also a little strange to put up the BBC in this manner, given that the Telegraph (along with other UK media groups, including the Guardian) have lobbied against the iPlayer. Indeed, given the way that the project has been hamstrung since before its conception, going international may be that the only chance of success it has.
And more to the point, as far as I'm aware iPlayer - if and when it launches - won't even have radio built in because of the complex rights issues. Could the BBC ever compete with iTunes, Google and other media sales platforms on the web?
