BBC to go digital in the UK

LONDON – The British Broadcasting Corporation has announced plans to telecast its programs on the web for the UK audience. The broadcaster plans to simulcast BBC One or BBC Two on the web so that viewers do not miss their favorite shows when they are away from their television sets.

BBC’s director of TV Jana Bennett revealed these plans and said that a decision to make video clips available on mobile phones was also on the anvil. The software to let viewers watch shows on the Internet is being developed. This player would allow viewers to view the show for upto one week after it has been broadcast on television. In an interview with the Guardian newspaper, Jana Bennett said that this plan was expected to take off within a year, “It’s a great way of getting public service content, which people have already paid for, out to people in a different way,” she said.

The BBC was rudely shocked in March when it was discovered that the first episode of the new Doctor Who series was leaked on to the Internet. That’s when the broadcasting giant woke up to the exciting possibilities of the web, she added.

Commenting on their decision to introduce a simulcast, a BBC spokesman said that it planned to make it permanent, but as of now, the simulcast is restricted to UK viewers only, “These plans are subject to the approval of the board of governors and the resolution of rights clearance issues on content like music and imported shows,” he said.

The corporation also announced plans to make some selected shows available online first before they are telecast on television on the lines of BBC Three comedy The Mighty Boosh. Some shows, which are slated to debut on the Internet, include Titty Bang Bang, sitcom Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps and Johnny Vegas’ show Ideal.