The BBC plans to allow viewers to download archived TV programmes for a ‘modest fee.’ Announcing the proposal during a speech at the Royal Television Society, director general, Mark Thompson, said that the archive of programmes would remain open permanently and that it would feature content that has never previously been available to own.
The move, which must be approved by the BBC Trust, and which Thompson said would need the support of producers, would put the BBC in direct competition with Apple’s iTunes Store, which also sells BBC programmes.
Thompson denied the scheme, known as Project Barcelona, would be a ‘second licence fee by stealth’ and said it would provide income to support independent TV production in the UK. The project ‘could also mark an important step in broadcast’s journey from being a transitory medium into a growing body of outstanding and valuable content which is always available to enjoy and which persists forever,’ Thompson told his audience.
