BBC News Online is to launch a redeveloped website and app in response to the “unprecedented shift in news consumption” from desktop to mobile and tablet devices.
Writing on the BBC’s internet blog, head of product, Robin Pembrooke, explained that 50-60% of all visits in the UK come from mobile or tablet users and that the current BBC website wasn’t designed with such users in mind. “The existing product, whilst very successful, has remained largely unchanged for the past three or four years.”
The new website, which will launch in the next couple of months, will be very similar to their present mobile website that was released 18 months ago and will be available in 30 languages. According to Pembrooke, benefits of the new website will include a cleaner design, quicker loading of web pages and more videos. Tablet users were invited to use the new website in December and “their feedback has been very positive”, wrote Pembrooke.
The new app, for Android and iOS, is currently being tested by 2,000 users and Pembrooke says surveys of the current app, which is four years old, have “[told] us that people now expect more from the app, especially the range of content it offers”.
The new app is expected to launch in January and will provide more video content, improved photo galleries and video playback as well as a “my news” section that will allow users to personalise their news stream. Pembrooke explained: “[Following] topics will initially be limited to users of the mobile app. If this proves to be a popular feature then we will look to extend this to work across the app and website so that your ‘my news’ section [will be available] across devices.”
Pembrooke added that his team will be blogging about the product changes and launch in more detail on the BBC’s internet blog and that: “We need a cost effective solution that works for everyone, on all devices.”
