Broadband video content is opening a new window for creative multimedia
and gives consumers new forms of digital media on demand.
The BBC ran testing in Hull on the Kingston
Interactive platform and then ran a 'Local TV' IPTV and Sky Digital
pilot based in Birmingham. English Regions New Media also runs Video
Nation which we took on from BBC2 and turned into a local proposition
on the Where I live platform.
Soon members of the public will be able to download programs on-demand
on the BBC
iplayer due for launch on the 27 July 2007. I have been on the beta
test group for this platform and have seen it develop over the last
few months into something which could potentially change the the grammar
and style of program making.
English Regions now slice and dice their regional
TV output to make it
available on the web. This was an idea i pitched to the controller a
couple of years back and now users can watch regional news output in
bite size chunks. There are more opportunities in this area i feel for
new forms of traditional content.
We have also started editing using network material online for projects
such as Coast,
How
We Built Britain and Saving
Planet Earth. I feel there are opportunities to do something new
here. Old media on the web is old news, new media on the web is the
future with the right ideas.
There are clearly some fabulous opportunities for IPTV.
This year Ihave seen presentations from Iolo Jones from Narrowstep
and a few weeks back Isaw a demo and presentation from the CEO of Cycling.TV.
Revenue streams are seemingly dependent on looking for ways to monetise
the content. Subscriptions and advertising are two ways to bring in
revenue, but their are other opportunities here I feel. Clearly there
is an opportunity with ITV to introduce elements of interactivity and
I feel that this is a big opportunity for this technology.
Mobile distribution of content over 3G and localised bluecasting/wi-fi
provide new ways to reach users. The BBC is piloting delivery of digital
TV
over 3G at the moment. If user costs for faster mobile platforms
change as they did with broadband a few years back then there are fantastic
commercial opportunities for businesses to reach customers in new ways
with new content. The public can get involved too via SMS and MMS.