James Delahunty
18 Feb 2010 6:28
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is planning to deliver sports and news content via iPhone applications from April this year. The apps for Apple devices will be followed by versions for RIM's BlackBerry handsets and Google's Android software. Sky and the Daily Telegraph already offer free apps for the same purpose, whereas the Guardian charges £2.39 for its applications.
The BBC said that the move is being made because more and more people are using "sophisticated handheld devices" to view content. The move will raise tensions with publishers of paid-for content or content supported by other means. "Whilst the BBC's impulse to enter an already crowded news and sport apps market place is understandable, the move belies the fundamentally competitive nature of the Corporation's approach to new services," Emily Bell, director of digital content at the Guardian, told BBC News.
"Applications are a long way away from being 'broadcast' media, and, unlike the web, they form a market which the BBC is seeking to disrupt." Erik Huggers, BBC director of future media and technology, shook off the stance by saying the BBC audience "want to access the digital services that they have paid for at a time and place that suits them". He said the BBC intends to catch up with its audience.
The BBC News app will offer content from the BBC News website including audio and video feeds. Users will also be able to send comments and pictures directly to the news room. The BBC Sports app will be released well in time for the World Cup, and so will focus on football content first. No mention of apps for Symbian was made yet - although there is a Symbian application for the BBC iPlayer already available.