euro news1112v3_news 10/12/2015 18:20 Page 3
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BBC Store launches
he BBC has launched its
much-anticipated BBC Store
download-to-own service,
providing what the BBC says offers
an easy way for audiences to buy,
enjoy and keep their favourite BBC
programmes.
Bal Samra, commercial director, BBC,
described the move as “an opening up of
the treasure trove of the BBC
Archive...BBC Store, operated by BBC
Worldwide, is the result of a fantastic
collaboration with the creative industry,”
he stated.
For over thirty years, selected BBC
programmes have been available to buy –
first on VHS, then DVD and more
recently on digital download platforms
such as iTunes. Now with more viewing
switching to digital, BBC Store allows
T
“The service would
launch with 7,000
hours of content.”
audiences to choose from a selection of
recently broadcast programmes;
television favourites and lost gems from
the BBC archive, making it what Marcus
Arthur, MD BBC Worldwide and ANZ,
described as “the most comprehensive
collection of BBC content anywhere,
ever”.
“We’ve really tried to make it easy for
people to browse, buy and watch the
content,” advised Arthur, noting that the
service would launch with 7,000 hours of
content, with 50 per cent more content
being added in the coming year. The
collection will continue to build as more
programmes are added each day from
iPlayer and the BBC archive.
“We want BBC Store to do for digital
ownership what iPlayer did for catch-up,”
declared Arthur, noting that it would be
offering content that had never been
available before commercially or had
been available in different formats but
was now available in VoD. “There has
only ever been less than 10 per cent of
the BBC’s archives ever available to buy
and own...This is just the start of the
journey to create now revenue streams.”
Audiences will be able to watch the
programmes they’ve bought from BBC
Store on BBC iPlayer as their purchases
will appear in the new ‘My Programmes’
area of BBC iPlayer to play back in full.
They will also be able to access BBC Store
directly from iPlayer, to find, bu