BBC Boss Hints Channel 4 TV Content May Come to iPlayer Streaming Service
The Director General of the BBC, Matt Brittin, has confirmed they’re exploring the possibility of creating a “sovereign streaming platform in the UK” and have already had “an approach and a discussion” with Channel 4 about bringing some of their content to the iPlayer service – a way of helping both players to stay competitive in today’s streaming-centric world.
The move would seem to be an attempt to build on last year’s agreement (here) between British TV broadcasters Channel 4 and UKTV (U platform), which is owned by the BBC’s commercial division. The deal represented a major new multi-year carriage agreement, which saw C4 gaining access to stream thousands of hours of additional free TV content and shows from the BBC via their online service (The Office, Red Dwarf etc.).
By comparison, Matt Brittin, who was speaking at last week’s meeting of the Culture, Media and Sport Committee, appears to be proposing that C4’s TV content could now appear on the BBC’s iPlayer streaming service. This is not to be confused with a re-hash of the BritBox service, since that was a paid product and the BBC are talking about a free to air solution (although the TV Licence fee does leave plenty of room for debate around how we use the word “free” in this context).
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Matt Brittin told the committee:
“There is an opportunity in the long run to have a sovereign streaming platform in the UK — I use that word carefully. Where do you go for quality UK content? The BBC is the biggest commissioner, but Sky-ITV remains an important commissioner, and others can too. The opportunity would be to build on the incredible reach and success of iPlayer. Nobody else around the world has anything like iPlayer’s scale and success. The other European broadcasters look at us with envy.
We have had an approach and a discussion with Channel 4. In the world of this ITV-Sky merger, Channel 4 looks very subscale. All these mergers are driven by the need to have scale, and Channel 4 looks very subscale. One opportunity for it would be to have content on iPlayer in partnership with the BBC but continue to be ad-funded. There is an array of commercial audience, public service and technical issues, but we will explore that as quickly as we are able to because that will be important for public service media.”
At this stage there’s no detail on whether this will actually happen or how much access iPlayer users might get to Channel 4’s content (i.e. will it mirror C4’s on-demand App content and include live programmes or be more restrictive), although anything that means we have one less than today’s gazillion different streaming Apps to install would perhaps be welcomed.
Mark is a professional technology writer, IT consultant and computer engineer from Dorset (England), he also founded ISPreview in 1999 and enjoys analysing the latest telecoms and broadband developments. Find me on X (Twitter), Mastodon, Facebook, BlueSky, Threads.net and Linkedin.
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Another attempt to bring more content behind the TV licence “soft paywall”. Once it’s on iPlayer, it becomes covered by the TV licence.
Not Necessarily, you do not need a TV license to watch S4C content on iPlayer.
There is also the “community screening” dispensation where the venue needs a license but attendees at the venue do not, and no further costs are payable (e.g. copyright).
Intended for events such as Royal weddings/coronations, significant suporting events (FIFA206 final if England get there?) and so on.
Channel 4’s player carries adverts, would we then expect to see adverts carried over to iPlayer?
From the article above: “content on iPlayer in partnership with the BBC but continue to be ad-funded”
“sovereign streaming platform”
All sounds very grand. Is he suggesting that Sky-ITV content (and others) should also be rolled into this BBC run ‘sovereign’ platform in the long-term? All sounds a bit Orwellian.
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I use that word carefully. Where do you go for quality UK content? The BBC is the biggest commissioner, but Sky-ITV remains an important commissioner, and others can too.
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Sky-ITV is a specific consideration given the proposed split of Sky’s owner, COMCAST, into a communication business and a broadcast business
With Sky-ITV remaining, at the moment, entirely in the communication business i.e. broadband, Mobile, Hardware, AND broadcaster/streamers: Sky/Now/ITV.
This does not align with the split in the US.
@MilesT
SkyTV/ITV is predominantly a broadcast and streaming business. The broadband services are ancillary to that business. They are likely to be jetisuned from the future NBCUniversal grouping should the opportunity arise and would release funds to finance the rationalisation of the new conglomerate.
@Far2329Light You have missed my point. US side of COMCAST split into COMCAST (broadband) and NBC Universal (broadcasting and Media).
However the SKY-ITV assets (combining communications and media) have remained within COMCAST entity; one would have expected the Sky-ITV media assets to have been put within NBCUniversal or a separate “Europe media” company, separate from broadband/mobile/hardware. A common brand could continue (for a while) presumably with the communications eventually rebranding. Not making the split now creates complexity and confusion around discussions such as sovereign streaming entity.
I agree that further reorganisation around Sky-ITV is likely
@MilesT
SkyTV has been bought by the existing Comcast Group. Comcast has only just formally announced the split of the business into the new Comcast and NBCUniversal organisations. The split will take about a year to complete. SkyTV will form part of the NBCUniversal operation, not the new Comcast group.
So would the content still be availabl on 4 streaming service? Not that is really much on 4 streamingthat I watch. at the moment, the only two things I am watching is Bones and Elementry, which are not British. Okay, elementry is based on a Britsh book, very, very loosly 🙂
Most likely yes. The BBC will not get exclusivity to the content, except perhaps for specific content for special time-limited campaigns. Nor is likely to get access to all the Channel4 catalogue – such as anything beyond the first series of a multi-series title.
Then, not sure what of doing it is?
Not sure what I put there, I meant to put not sure what the point of it is then.
The aims are mutually beneficial. Additional revenue streams from the BBC for Channel 4, while the BBC is hoping to attract additional subscribers (license fee payers in this case) and thus increase its revenues. Neither organisation is however, particularly well adapted to commercial enterprise.
So Channel 4 produce anything worth watching except the 7pm news?
Just a few things off the top of my head: Countdown, Gogglebox, TGBBO, The Piano, Educating Yorkshire, First Dates, Taskmaster, 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown, Location…, Last Leg, Paralympics, Crufts, Stand Up to Cancer
So nothing worth watching then.
One Born Every Minute! Dispatches, 24 Hours in A&E, Emergency, 999: On the Front Line.
I feel very uncomfortable with the term “sovereign streaming platform ” with all of its implications. I think that is the last thing the UK needs.
Anyway, how much longer will Channel4 remain a state-owned business?