The BBC today announced that it is to offer a new range of applications that will deliver BBC Online services to a range of mobile devices.
Licence fee payers have already been able to access the BBC website on mobile phones for eight years and today’s announcement means that public service content can be better enjoyed on the move.
At a keynote speech at Mobile World Congress, BBC Director of Future Media & Technology Erik Huggers said that the BBC is planning to release mobile applications for BBC News and BBC Sport on a wide range of smartphones, starting with a BBC News application for iPhone in April 2010.
The app will focus on providing quick access to the BBC’s existing journalistic content, which will be repurposed for the devices.
The BBC is also considering BBC iPlayer applications for release later in the year.
All applications will be available free of charge.
The rapid growth in the availability of internet-connected mobile phone and particularly smartphones in 2009 has been matched by a rise in the number of applications that deliver content and services.
With smartphone usage expected to increase in 2010, audiences now expect to be able to access BBC content and services on the move with a user-experience that’s simple, personal and optimised for the device.
Erik Huggers said: "It’s been 12 years since the launch of BBC Online, but as media converges and technology accelerates, licence fee payers are increasingly using sophisticated handheld devices to access information. They tell us that they want to access the digital services that they have paid for at a time and place that suits them.
"Today’s announcement means that we are catching up with our audiences, and the same content that we broadcast on television and make available online can now be better enjoyed on the move.
"We are putting technology to work to create greater public value."
BBC News – Breaking news and broadcast content on the move
The first app to launch will be BBC News, which will offer our audience the BBC’s breaking news and latest stories.
It will provide the same distinctive content already available on the website, such as features and analysis, reports from BBC correspondents around the world and a wide range of live and on-demand audio and video content.
The news application, which will be available in early April, will give users flexibility in how they personalise their news experience. More features will be added throughout the year.
The news app will initially be available on Apple (iPhone and iPod Touch) devices.
BBC News applications will follow on RIM (Blackberry) and Google (Android) operating systems later in the year.
The BBC will also work with other providers to enable these applications on their mobile devices.
BBC Sport – Live sport experience
A BBC Sport application will be available in The App Store for iPhone and iPod touch in time for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. The live match experience will be at the heart of the application.
For the World Cup, football fans will be able to access live match video, whenever it’s being broadcast on TV by the BBC, and on-demand clips of every goal scored in the tournament.
Users will also be able to enjoy more of the BBC’s other unique content on mobile, such as BBC Radio 5 Live, authored live text commentaries from BBC presenters and blogs.
Later in the year, the BBC will create even more value from its sports rights, by adding Formula 1 and coverage of other sports.
Applications will follow on RIM (Blackberry) and Google (Android) operating systems later in the year.
BBC News Application
Expected release date: April 2010 (UK and Rest of World).
Both the UK and global applications will be available free of charge (though network data charges may apply). In line with other international BBC Worldwide services, the global version created and released by BBC Worldwide (availability dependent on market aspirations) will be supported by advertising.
Key features:
Breaking news, updated throughout the day
Personalisation, the ability to create a personal news experience
User-generated content, the ability to send comments and pictures direct to the newsroom
Blogs, analysis and commentary with the distinct BBC voice
Video and audio content from the BBC News channel and other BBC sources
BBC Sport Application
Expected release date: May 2010 (UK and Rest of World).
The first version will focus on World Cup 2010, but will be updated throughout the year to support major sports, such as the Formula 1 season and the 2010/2011 English football season.
Both the UK and global applications will be available free of charge, though data charges may apply. The global version will be released separately by BBC Worldwide and, in line with other international BBC Worldwide services, will feature advertising.
Key features:
Live text commentary with distinct BBC voice
Listen live to Radio 5 Live commentary
Receive up-to-the-minute scores and league information
Participation: integration with 606, and the BBC sport blogs
User-generated content, submission of comments via SMS
Video and audio content: integration with Radio 5 Live, plus video clips (subject to rights availability)
Personalisation: selection of your teams and clubs
BBC iPlayer Application
BBC iPlayer has been a huge success in the UK since its launch in December 2007 and is now averaging more than 20 million requests for TV and radio programmes per week across all platforms.
The web-based BBC iPlayer has already been optimised for a wide range of smartphones (accessed through a mobile browser). A BBC iPlayer mobile application has also been available in Nokia’s Ovi app store since Q3 2009.
The BBC plans to make further BBC iPlayer applications available on a wide range of smartphones offering enhanced features – above and beyond the web-based variants. These would be available to UK audiences only.
Key features:
Live TV and radio
Improved user experience: enhanced interface using the latest app gestures and transitions
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