BBC to premiere content exclusively on iPlayer before TV

BRITISH BROADCASTER the BBC has revealed plans to premiere several shows exclusively on its iPlayer service before they are shown on terrestrial television.

In what is a first for the BBC, the move is part of a 12 month trial where 40 hours of selected online programming will be previewed on the service before it appears on the screen in the home.

"During 2012, the BBC brought selected online-only programmes to audiences. These included BBC3 comedy pilots, a 'Doctor Who' web series, called 'Pond Life', and curated archive programmes for BBC4," BBC's head of digital communications Sophie Brendel told The INQUIRER.

"We will build on this in 2013, and make a small number of additional programmes exclusively available to our audiences via BBC iPlayer."

Details regarding what content will brought exclusively to iPlayer have not been announced yet by the BBC.

With some of the content classed as "near live broadcasts", a TV licence will be required to view it, however the BBC said that these programmes will be "a very small number".

The move might be the first by the BBC, but it's not a groundbreaking one, as North American broadcasters such as ABC have been posting their TV shows online before they are aired on TV for several years.

Regardless, the offering should prove to be a fair experiment for showing whether iPlayer can serve as more than just a catch-up tool and instead a resource for viewing exclusive content. µ