The BBC Trust has given its approval to the corporation’s plans to release mobile apps for BBC News, BBC Sport and iPlayer.
The BBC announced earlier this year that it planned to develop apps for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad, as well as other mobile platforms. In response to concerns raised by the BBC’s competitors, the Trust began an enquiry into whether the plans required a full Public Value Test (PVT). It has now concluded that they don’t.
It said that BBC apps will simply make it easier to access content which is already online and freely available through any web browser and, in some cases, existing BBC mobile apps. And while there will be some “overlap” with competitors’ apps, the impact won’t necessarily be large. The trust also said that the cost of developing the apps won’t be significantly high at less than 1% of the current BBC online market.
“The Apps market is rapidly taking off as more people choose to get their news, sport and other online content while they’re on the move,” said Diane Coyle, the trustee who led the review. “The Trust has a duty to represent the interests of licence fee payers, who will increasingly expect to access BBC content in this way, but also to listen to concerns raised by industry. In this case we have concluded that while the Apps market is developing quickly and we will monitor the launch of BBC Apps, a PVT is not required.”
