So, you been discussing the current dispute between Channel 4 and independent producers over new media rights down the pub with your mates? No, me neither. That said, the new media rights row does give an insight into how the opportunities for watching your favourite TV programmes are about to expand massively. No, really - stick with me on this.
At the moment, a programme like Little Britain premieres on BBC1, then gets repeated several times over the next few weeks on BBC3, and then a few months or maybe even a year later shows up on a pay-TV channel - in Little Britain's case UKTV Gold, which the BBC co-owns with Telewest.
If you miss it on BBC1 and don't have digital TV, you can fork out £20 or more on the DVD, which with a popular show like Little Britain will be out as soon as the first TV transmission of the series ends. With popular and longer running shows, such as Doctor Who and Lost, a DVD of the first few episodes is in the shops even before the series ends. However, with less popular shows, the DVD release may take months, years - or even never.
Well that's all about to change, big time. The BBC has already done its new media rights deal with producers, giving it a seven day primary exploitation "window", followed by a six month "holdback" period, before the rights owner can start flogging the property to all and sundry. Independent producers' trade body Pact wants this to be the template for the deals it strikes with all other UK broadcasters.
Roughly translated into plainer English, this means: first transmission on BBC1, then for a week you will be able to watch a free "catch-up" download via the BBC's soon to launch interactive media player - which will self-destruct in seven days, in a Mission Impossible stylee. Plus several repeats on BBC3 or BBC4, depending on the type of show.
The BBC will then have six months to flog the hell out of the show with a DVD release and more repeats on its TV channels. Maybe you'll also be able to watch on a pay-TV channel, or download the show in question at a premium from the BBC Worldwide website, if the BBC has got the necessary rights.
After six months, it's free for all time, presumably - even more repeats on pay-TV channels, depending on where a show is sold. And TV shows will be available for download via iTunes, Google, Yahoo and elsewhere, like music tracks and videos are now, onto computers, personal video recorders and mobile devices.
Another likely change is that new US shows will turn up on British TV much quicker - possibly within days or weeks of launching on American TV. Particularly hit shows - UK viewers won't be waiting nearly a year to find out what all the fuss is about something like Lost, for instance.
So, get ready for the digital deluge...
(This blog was first posted on January 20 2006)
