Having seen some of the reports today on the new look (yet to be launched) BBC Online, I'm totally taken aback... I just can't believe that the BBC, the institution that it is, will be going all Web 2.0 on us, quoting MySpace, Flickr, YouTube, Technorati and Wikipedia as examples of the way it's going. How cool will this be!
Here's what Reuters is reporting:
Initiatives include a plan to let radio listeners create their own customised stations, and the creation of a teen-focused brand that will span TV, radio and broadband.
And this is from The Guardian:
BBC director of new media and technology Ashley Highfield's presentation, Beyond Broadcast, outlined a three-pronged approach to refocus all future BBC digital output and services around three concepts - "share", "find" and "play". He said the philosophy of "share" would be at the heart of what he dubbed bbc.co.uk 2.0.
Hi Drew,
I am not surprised at all when you look at the kind of people that are BBC alumni like Tom Coates (now at Yahoo :-)) or Ben Metcalfe who is in charge of BBC Backstage or the way news gathering at the BBC was affected by citizen journalism of mobile videos and pictures of the Tsunami in Thailand and the July 7 tube bombings.
In addition, the BBC has always had a record of innovation from championing multicasting and P2P networks ahead of other media properties to the Radiophonic Workshop of the 1970s.
The media landscape is changing and because of the Beebs charter it is able to change with it faster than many of its contemporaries in the private sector.
Best regards your online friend
rc
Posted by: renaissance chambara | April 26, 2006 at 11:18 AM
Hi RC. You're right - the BBC has the talent and the resources to be doing this. And I was going to reference Tom, but as he left I didn't want to assume he'd had a hand in this :-)
Posted by: Drew B | April 26, 2006 at 12:13 PM
There is a much deeper agenda here. The BBC has been told to get its act together to survive and grow in a world where its license fee is under threat.
The BBC has probably the richest source of media assets anywhere on the planet. Anyone want to put a price on it? Try this - Time Warner is worth $78 billion - what say you for the BBC? $200 billion? It already syndicates large chunks of its drama series material to a number of Sky channels. There is every reason to think that government could create an environment that fully commercialises the BBC without necessarily becoming another ads based channel.
If that happens then what odds am I offered for a marriage between the BBC and the Guardian?
That's why this is such a big deal.
Posted by: Dennis Howlett | April 27, 2006 at 11:35 PM
I don't understand this comment Dennis. Why should this lead to the privatisation of the BBC?
Posted by: Nick | April 28, 2006 at 11:07 AM