Advanced Television

New rules for BBC distribution

October 29, 2015

The BBC Trust has published a new framework that sets out the principles and requirements that the BBC must follow when it looks to make its services on TV, radio and online widely available to audiences.

The Distribution framework brings together in one place, and for the first time, the requirements set by the Trust in this area, and takes account of feedback received from the industry in a consultation that ran earlier this year.  It covers the distribution of TV, radio and online services, including iPlayer and Red Button services, to any device used to access them including TVs, radios, PCs, tablets, games platforms, set top boxes, and mobile phones.

In the new framework, the Trust has confirmed its view that, over the Internet, licence fee payers interests continue to be best served in most cases by offering platform operators and others access to the full range of BBC content within a BBC environment via a standard product, currently BBC iPlayer.

In response to industry comment, the new framework also makes explicit throughout that the BBC must work with partners in order to make its services widely available.

The new Distribution framework comes into effect immediately and the BBC Executive must now engage with industry and develop accompanying guidelines setting out more information on how the framework will be implemented in practice. These will be subject to Trust approval.

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