BBC Store confirms closure
May 25, 2017
The BBC has confirmed it will close its digital download service, BBC Store, after just 18 months.
The service, which offered people the chance to buy and download digital copies of major BBC series or single episodes once they left iPlayer, failed to compete with streaming services offered by the likes of Netflix and Amazon.
BBC Store will officially shut on November 1st. Programmes that users have purchased will no longer be available, although the BBC has said it will fully refund customers.
A message to BBC Store customers said that the BBC would continue to find new ways of making BBC archive content available. “And do remember that programmes on BBC iPlayer are now available to watch for up to 30 days after broadcast, alongside a range of complete series and fascinating collections,” it advised.
A BBC spokesman said: “Since the appetite for BBC shows on SVoD and other third party platforms is growing in the UK and abroad, it doesn’t make sense for us to invest further in BBC Store where demand has not been as strong as we’d hoped in a rapidly changing market.”