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BBC on-demand gets trust approval

30/04/2007

The BBC's proposals for an on-demand television service have been granted final approval by the corporation's governing body.

At a date later this year still to be agreed upon, PC users will be able to download the most popular BBC shows and play them on its iPlayer.

Following amendments to the original plans through the BBC Trust's public value test (PVT), episodes will be available for seven days after being broadcast on TV and can be stored for up to 30 days on Windows-operated PCs.

More than 10,500 individuals and organisations responded to the trust's PVT.

Diane Coyle, BBC trustee and chair of its PVT steering group, said that the consultation had demonstrated "considerable public support" for the BBC's on-demand proposals.

But although individuals said they should have maximum access to all BBC content, industry and commercial stakeholders raised concerns the service could damage existing on-demand commercial enterprises.

The BBC Trust also wants the iPlayer to be compatible with Freeview boxes and Apple-manufactured computers as soon as possible.

BBC director general Mark Thompson said he was "delighted" with the trust's decision to approve the on-demand proposals.

And Ashley Highfield, the corporation's director of future media and technology, said the BBC iPlayer is "a critical part of the BBC's strategy to maintain impact and relevance in a world where viewing and listening habits are shifting from linear to on-demand".

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