Distorted-Loop.com

The BBC is embracing the social Web, confirming that Facebook, Twitter and Bebo integration will be part of the future of iPlayer.

BBC future media chief, Erik Huggers, confirmed these plans when speaking with The Telegraph. As he explains it, the plan begins with integration of these services into iPlayer, with such integration then spread across the BBC site. Read the rest of this entry »

The battle for iPhone sales in the UK has begun, with incumbent carrier, O2, offering free Sky Mobile TV to UK iPhone users.

The Sky Mobile TV app allows you to watch Sky Sports 1,2 and 3 as well as Sky Sports News, Sky Sports Extra, Sky News, At The Races and ESPN.

“In less than a year we’ve already seen millions of downloads of Sky’s various iPhone apps,” said David Gibbs, the general manager for mobile at Sky. “Now, by launching our new Sky Mobile TV app, we are able to combine the demand for great live TV on the move with the quality of experience offered through the iPhone and iTouch.”

The Sky Mobile TV app currently works over WiFi. All iPhone tariffs include unlimited Wi-Fi access at over 7,500 BT Openzone and The Cloud Wi-Fi hotspots in the UK (including most Starbucks).

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Akamai today announced that Livestation, a UK-based global provider of online broadcast content, has launched its streaming application which allows live television broadcasts to be sent to the iPhone using Akamai Media Delivery.

The Livestation technology puts broadcasters in direct contact with the users and generates revenue for them when the application is purchased from the iPhone App Store.

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Japan’s I-O Data has introduced the $70 SEG Clip, a small USB device which allows iPhone and iPod touch users to watch digital TV on their device.

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Microsoft has moved to cease speculation it intends releasing its own Zune
phone to compete with the Apple iPhone, and presumably the iPod touch.

The company pooh-poohed the notion during its financial results announcement this week, saying its strategy will be to improve Windows Mobile and continue working with its existing hardware partners.

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Microsoft will launch its MSN Video Player video-on-demand service in the UK next week, offering 300 hours of free shows to viewers – and leaving viewers using current versions of Mac OS X in the cold.

Initial shows available through the beta service next week will include League of Gentlemen, Peep Show, Shameless and The Young Ones.

The project’s led by Ashley Highfield, now VP consumer and online at Microsoft UK and former BBC director of future media and technology.

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NBC’s CEO Jeff Zucker speaks with Kara Swisher at the All Things Digital conference. He talks about the state of broadcasting in a transition market, and has some interesting things to say vis-a-vis his network’s relationship with Apple.

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The latest iteration of free, popular and useful TV, movie, and DVD guide for the iPhone and iPod touch, i.TV made its debut today on Apple’s App Store.

i.TV 1.4 includes a dedicated tab for Comcast subscribers, the world’s first “shakable” advertisement, AT&T U-verse listings and major performance improvements.

“Along with efforts to make i.TV faster and more stable, i.TV 1.4 includes a special menu tab for Comcast subscribers with information about video on-demand offerings,” said i.TV CEO, Brad Pelo. “Yes, i.TV is a movie, DVD and TV guide, but it is also a hub where media companies can more directly interact with their customers.”

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A few weeks later than we predicted, the BBC today introduced new iPlayer software that lets Mac and Linux users download shows to their computers for offline viewing, a feature enjoyed by Windows users since the launch of the service.

If you are in the UK and connected to the internet you can already play programmes from the past seven days and watch them on the website through Click to Play (streaming). This works on Windows, Macs, Linux, Nintendo Wii and iPhones.

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The BBC is serious about attempting to deploy its iPlayer video-on-demand technology as an industry standard, announcing new partnerships with ITV and BT, “to promote a common industry approach and consumer offer to deliver on-demand TV over broadband.”

Such a pan-industry approach may in future pit the BBC and partners against other existing online TV solutions, including iTunes in the UK and similar services elsewhere.
 
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