I’ve had a lot of feedback in the last few days following my recent posts about the BBC. My position can be summed up thus: The BBC could do more than it currently does with its assets and its platform to encourage innovation, especially in the way it interfaces with startup tech companies. I think it could release even more data and feeds and could even think about creating a platform for startups to use, perhaps as a public-service backed testbed for new applications. I’m not saying the BBC hasn’t been great at distributing its OWN content on its OWN platform. It clearly has. What I am saying is that it contains within it a great deal of data which could be opened up and released for the benefit of other people with ideas, thus powering new entities as yet undreamed of. Channel 4 appears to be moving in this direction, should the BBC? People who defend the BBC on this issue either say they have been doing this already or say they are about to do more in the vein (see the comments). It’s obviously more complex than that, but that’s the gist of it.
So I am prepared to put on an event in London where the two sides can meet and discuss these issues. Steve Bowbrick, a long-time Internet entrepreneur who has blogged extensively about the BBC’s role, has kindly agreed to chair a panel to discuss these issue. I have provisionally booked a venue in central London for June 25th. All I need now is a panel. (And maybe a sponsor to cover the small costs).
I’m asking the BBC to put up a person, or more, to be on the panel. And I’m looking for people from the startup tech sector who want to argue the case that the BBC should open up more.
Who’s in? Leave some comments…
I’m up for a constructive and informed debate. I’m not up for a heated one. I have quite enough people shouting at me as it is, ta.
James – Yeah, it’s just a play on words, right
Up for it?
The BBC is an institution with far and away the world’s most impressive and valuable archive of moving pictures and sound, built with public funds… but in most cases still not available to the public that paid for. (Yes it’s a huge job to digitize it.)
The issue of opening up this library to UK entrepreneurs to build upon and develop with is a superb topic for discussion and I know for one, we would be delighted to give our UK users (at least) the ability to search, compile, aggregate and curate older educational and kids content from the BBC for wider consumption. We’d be happy to link extensively back to the BBC with due credit and branding.
For example, should there not be a ‘first airing’ date before which, BBC content becomes freely available under license on a BBC version of a creative commons license? For example, any content, or certain genres of content first aired prior to 1980? It’s unfortunate that there are literally millions of hours of BBC content produced in the 20th century there literally is no copy of.
We’d be happy to take part in this debate and work constructively to listen and contribute on a dialogue with the BBC.
Alx Klive
WorldTV.com
Hi Mike,
I would put Umair Haque on the panel to cover the platform and openness aspect. Possibly include Jemima Kiss (although she’s a little annoyed at TC at the moment). Jeff Jarvis would also be useful if he is in town.
Regards,
Simon
No disrespect to Jeff, but can we avoid having the same old faces there?
Alx – That would be possible, if you were prepared to get everyone to pay £500 for their tv license so the BBC could buy out all the rights. Care to explain to my Mum, who doesn’t even have an internet connection, why that would represent good value to her?
Ian – This is something I would like to learn more about. Are there really 3rd party rights-holders for pre-1980 kids shows (for example) with exclusive territorial rights on Internet broadcast, and no provision in the contracts that the BBC themselves can do something like this? Would like to learn more..
Great idea, might even come over from Belfast for that one if it gains momentum! Coincidently Ars Technica had a great article yesterday “Study: .gov web sites should focus on RSS, XML—not redesigns” http://tinyurl.com/4zcnya – maybe its the same for traditional broadcasters – give us feeds not crappy web sites!
Guess this is relevant to the debate:
C4 is doing a pre-launch of its investment program at MiniBar
http://internetpro.meetup.com/10/calendar/8043647/
Its fully booked already, but we will post a video and maybe Mike could link to it
Would love to sit in on the debate, though I’m probably going to be the only anarchist in the room.
Mike, I think a debate would be very interesting, but it really needs to shed light and not heat.
To do that imho it needs to be more than “BBC vs the opposing vested interests” show.
I also think to shed light, I’d want to be sure the whole panel was already fully aware of things like:
- the BBC’s IP rights position,
- their Charter conditions,
- the fundamental economics behind what is being proposed here
….as these are fundamental to his debate, and not understanding them would make any discussion pretty useless.
Agree with the last post, for a worthwhile debate on this subject you need more than developers, the relevant in-depth knowledge is in folks from BBC I&A (Informationa nd Archives) and maybe from Business Affairs or Legal.
Well you are clearly in generous mood with the Beeb today. The BBC has been great at distributing its own content? reallY? iplayer locking down content. 60 years of archives where? The BBC is funded using our money and it spend most of the time locking it it way to and restricting access to it.
It could be the most progressive 21 century content generator and distributor on the globe , driving its own future past the day when the Licence evaporates ( which it will one day ) B for effort on iPlayer maybe if I share your generous mood but it all feels like an organization hiding frightened behind its own skirts.
I would like to be there for sure. Can I also suggest the whole thing is recorded?
Mike Call me you got my number right?
Thanks for everyone’s feedback, I’ll bare it in mind when I pull this together. Obviously we’ll try to get the relevant people from the BBC to come and talk about these issues. And yes Ian, you can video it.
Just spotted this discussion. I’ve seen both sides of this, as an entrepreneur who was a member of BBC staff until recently (all views expressed are my own).
I’d love to hear a discussion of how the BBC allows sites to use its content. Lets avoid the question of whether content should be made available for longer/outside the U.K. etc.
Comments that a debate would need to be well informed are bang on. There’s a very dull direction that they often take:
Q: I’ve paid my licence fee, why can’t I use content forever/wherever (and BTW I don’t like the ‘DRM’ that attempts to restrict my rights).
BBC: Actually, you/the BBC haven’t paid for the content anywhere/everywhere. To do so would be prohibitively expensive. Your grandmother could not watch Songs of Praise etc.
Q: Well, that makes no sense to me, because the technology places no real restriction on me using the content wherever/whenever.
BBC: But the law places a restriction, so either do it quietly or hear from someone’s lawyers.
Collective sigh. Annoyance or hand-shaking depending on the demeanour of the debaters.
Leaving aside the question of when/where I can view content, I’d like to know:
Why can I embed a YouTube video in my blog, but not an iPlayer video?
A BBC equivalent of the YouTube Chromeless Player would be really nice. (more here: http://www.mail-archive.com/backstage-developer@lists.bbc.co.uk/msg00066.html)
The reason for the limited API probably has something to do with adding ‘public value’ if people come to iPlayer to see Eastenders, and leave having watched Panorama. That assumes that more public value is generated if the BBC keep control of navigation, i.e., the BBC will provide better navigation if they don’t share the task with the public.
Now, here is an interesting debate:
Is the nation better off if the BBC control the navigation, or if they crowd-source?
My view is that the crowd are a vital part of the mix – assuming: the BBC do a good job of making the underlying programmes both entertaining and of ‘public value’, and present it all thru an API that allows you to easily link to more than just Eastenders.
Mike, BIMA has a seat on the BBC Digital Media advisory board. I’d like to suggest Charles Billott, BIMA’s rep on the board.
I’m in if it’s reasonable and fair. Frankly I’d love to figure out how to better engage with the community, though 25% of our budget is spent with them already (which is a hefty chunk.)
The best innovation is what I’m focussed on – could care less who comes up with it.
the BBC (and all broadcasters for that matter) could learn a lot about the way that Nokia are handling themselves:
Past:
Nokia – Mobile Device Technology Company (Hardware)
BBC – Moving image Distribution (production handled internally, and outsourced)
Future/Now:
Nokia: Mobile Device Technology + Internet company
BBC: Moving Image Distribution (production mostly outsourced)
So despite the iPlayer and moves within the BBC to utilise emerging technologies, they are still intrinsically a closed system.
Nokia on the other hand through things like Beta labs, Nokia Conversations and their work with S60 effectively leverage public coders through extensive API’s to not only create new content, but applications and software systems that make it to the end user via their distribution platform (handsets – eg: sports trackerLife Tracker).
The BBC labs do this, but it’s still a closed system. Broadcasters could learn a lot by watching Nokia.