BBC to make available archival material on web for trial

UK based media giant BBC has said that they plan to open up its vast archive of video and audio in an on-demand trial.

This trial service would involve as many as 20,000 people in the UK. They would make available for download full length programming content along with scripts and notes.

BBC plans to make available more than a million hours of TV and radio from its archive online in the future. BBC’s Future Media boss Ashley Highfield added on their plans: “Our audience increasingly want and expect to dictate how, when and where they get our services.”

Highfield added: “It will test what old programmes people really want to see, from Man Alive to The Liver Birds, how they want to see them - full length or clip compilations, and when they want them - in ‘lean-forward’ exploratory mode similar to web surfing, or as a scheduled experience more akin to TV viewing.”

This test would help the company decide on the amount of content they should provide for free viewing and what should be released through licensing. They are currently scheduled to launch their BBC iPlayer later this year but is still subject to approval from the BBC Trust.