BBC Director General, Tony Hall, is set to announce new plans to revamp the company’s iPlayer service in a bid to become “the number one online TV service in the UK”.
Hall will lay out his plans in a speech to BBC staff (via the EveningStandard), wherein he will explain the goal of doubling iPlayer users by the year 2020.
“iPlayer was the biggest revolution of the last Charter. Today it’s the number one video-on-demand service in the UK, reaching more people than any other,” he says.
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“Now we need it to make the leap from a catch-up service to a must-visit destination in its own right.
“Our goal, even in the face of rapid growth by our competitors, is for iPlayer to be the number one online TV service in the UK.
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The new direction is part of Hall’s plan to “reinvent public broadcasting for a new generation,” and will be announced alongside further changes to the BBC’s news service.
In future, the BBC will deliver more “slow news” along with the “fast” breaking news, Hall is set to announce – which means we’re likely to see more analysis appearing alongside BBC news reports.
The iPlayer service has been undergoing some changes of late, with the BBC making a TV licence mandatory for all users back in September last year.
Prior to the change, users without a licence could take advantage of the so-called iPlayer loophole, by watching shows on catch-up rather than live.
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Let us know what you think of the iPlayer’s upcoming changes in the comments.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
