BBC Iplayer gets Youview-like functionality with non-BBC channels

MIDDLE CLASS middle aged people will be outraged that the great unwashed's commercial telly has found its way onto the BBC's Iplayer, and Youview might be worried too.

Programming from ITV channels, Channel 5 and Welsh langage channel S4/C is now available to watch through Iplayer. Channel 4's arrival has been delayed by technical hitches and no date has been given for when its content will be available.

The BBC and all of these channels, except S4/C, are partners in Youview, the Internet Protocol television service (IPTV). It was supposed to ship with its own set-top box this year but is now delayed to 2012 due to technical problems.

Youview gives users Freeview channel access, High Definition channels and content, Iplayer like functionality and access to video on demand services such as BT Vision. It will be launched with a set-top box but is designed to work with many platforms.

This expansion of Iplayer to non-BBC channels, making it more Youview like, has nothing to do with the IPTV delay. "This is not about Youview. We announced this [non-BBC function] last May," the BBC told The INQUIRER.

The BBC had announced last May that the non-Beeb function would arrive in the Summer but it has only now turned up. In its blog posting yesterday about the new function it said, "this has been an extremely ambitious and technically complicated project." So complicated that it took six more months to do.

The non-BBC channels function will not be available for now on the Apple Ipad and Android 2.3 Gingerbread app launched last week. It will only be available through the PC desktop version of Iplayer for the time being. µ