Information Madness

Technology News has announced that BBC is launching an international version of its video service iPlayer that is an on-demand facility for Apple iPad users in Europe in the first phase. The customers will have to pay a monthly or an annual subscription to get access to a range of current and classic programs during this phase.

The project is going to be managed by BBC Worldwide which is a commercial arm for the Corporation. BBC Worldwide informed that the income will help add to the license fee earnings.

The App will promote one feature that is currently not available in the United Kingdom and that is the ability to download the content and watch offline.

In the initial phase, Global iPlayer will be available in eleven European countries of Switzerland, Austria, Spain, Belgium, Portugal, France, the Netherlands, Germany, the Republic of Ireland, Luxembourg and Italy. The cost will be Euros 6.99 per month with an option of an annual subscription amounting to Euros 49.99.

Instead of a seven-day catch-up service, it will provide a showcase of BBC shows both old and new. For example, shows like `Fawlty Towers’, `Only Fools and Horses’, `Sherlock’ and `Doctor Who’. This is likely to raise questions from viewers in the United Kingdom who do not have the facility to access older shows. The domestic iPlayer App for iPad also does not allow them a download facility which would allow users to see programs when they have no internet connection.