BBC iPlayer to be Subscription Based in US – Initially on iPad

The BBC will be launching a subscription based iPlayer service for those out of the UK. The service will initially be made available to those using the Apple iPad and will then expand out after that.

Shows expected to be made available include the likes of Doctor Who and other popular shows.

“There’s a general acknowledgement in the world of VoD that there needs to be a hybrid business model – a combination of subscriptions, download to own and pay per view.

“I can see the value of that view and I believe it’s the way that the global iPlayer will go in the medium term.

“However I can announce here that we’re going to be adopting a pure paid subscription model for the global iPlayer for launch – in part to get audiences used to using the service, but more importantly so we can generate additional value from the service in terms of the user data that it gives us.

“We will also offer advertisers the chance to partner with us on the ‘free’ areas of the service.”

BBC iPlayer, for those who haven’t heard of it before, is an online video on demand service that runs free of charge in the UK (not taking yearly license costs in to account). In October alone it had 139 million requests for shows which makes it a fairly popular service.

As for release dates, it isn’t clear when at the moment.

Via: Paid Content

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