BBC Trust gives green light to on-demand iPlayer system

LONDON - The BBC Trust has approved the iPlayer, the new on-demand platform requested by the BBC executive board.

The Trust's provisional conclusions were subject to an open consultation, with 10,500 individuals and organisations responding to the request.

The on-demand proposals are the first to go through a public value test.

As a result of the responses, and after consideration of the relevant issues, the Trust has amended two of the conditions of its provisional approval.

The two conditions refer firstly to series stacking, where viewers can download multiple episodes of a certain series. The Trust said that series stacking will remain, but it has applied a 15% annual quota for series stacking with revised editorial guidance to the BBC executive on the type of series, which can be included.

Secondly, the Trust said that it would observe the corporation's progress in making the iPlayer platform neutral.

BBC executives originally said that the iPlayer would use only Microsoft's Windows operating system.

Diane Coyle, BBC trustee and chair of the Trust's PVT steering group, said: "The consultation has demonstrated considerable public support for the on-demand proposals.

"Thanks to the thorough assessment through the Public Value Test, and with the modifications which resulted from the test and the consultation, the Trust is satisfied that the BBC's new on-demand services will create significant public value with limited market impact. We have therefore given our final approval for the services to be launched."

Most responses to the consultation came from individuals, the majority of whom supported the proposals and believed that, as licence fee payers, they should have maximum access to BBC content.

A significant number of responses were received from industry and commercial stakeholders, some of whom reiterated their concerns about the potential for adverse market impact.

Coyle said: "The over-riding responsibility of the Trust is to act in the public interest. This means that, when considering the potential market impact of new service applications from the BBC, we must focus primarily on the effect on consumers who enjoy the choice offered by content and services beyond those provided by the BBC.

"In our provisional conclusions we proposed a number of modifications to BBC management's plans and sought feedback from the public and the media industry. Having considered the responses carefully, we've made two changes to our provisional conclusions."

The iPlayer is due to cost £132m over the next five years.

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