International iPlayer less than $10 a month
March 2, 2011
By Colin Mann
The BBC’s international iPlayer app will cost less than $10 a month when it launches later this year, according to Director General Mark Thompson.
Speaking at the FT Digital Media & Broadcasting conference in London, Thompson said the global version of the corporation’s online catch-up service for iPads will launch “definitely this year”, adding that it would cost, “a small number of dollars per month, definitely fewer than ten”. The app will also give subscribers access to BBC archive programming.
Thompson said that the iPlayer app allows the BBC to “sell directly to consumers” without shows being rebranded or reformatted, which often happens when UK shows are bought by international broadcasters. As to the obvious effect this might have on the business of BBC Worldwide, Thompson said the corporation is following in Hollywood’s footsteps and “looking at a series of windows” for shows, to “optimise value across that lifecycle”.