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BBC iPhone apps put on hold

By Hani Megerisi

Posted on 29 Mar 2010 at 16:13

The planned BBC News and Sport iPhone apps have been put on hold following complaints they would damage commercial rivals.

The BBC Trust, the broadcaster's governing body, will investigate whether the apps fall under the BBC’s remit and form an extension of its existing services, or represent an entirely new service. If the trust finds that they are not part of existing services, a lengthier investigation of public value will take place.

Executives at the BBC have argued the apps fall under its existing service licence. However, The Newspaper Publishers Association (NPA), which represents major UK news groups such as News International and the Guardian Media Group, has come out strongly against the plans, and issued a letter to the BBC Trust calling for a “public value test”.

It is extremely disappointing that the corporation plans to launch services that would throw into serious doubt the commercial sector's ability to... support quality journalism

The group argues that the BBC giving away content for free will damage the emerging market for paid news apps. “It is extremely disappointing that the corporation plans to launch services that would throw into serious doubt the commercial sector's ability to make a return on its investment, and therefore its ability to support quality journalism,” said David Newell, director of the NPA.

Several newspapers and tabloids have already developed iPhone apps, including The Guardian, The Independent, The Daily Star and The Daily Telegraph. These apps are all currently free, with the exception of The Guardian, which charges a one-off fee of £2.39. They do, however, generate income via advertising.

The BBC’s proposed apps

Both BBC apps were scheduled for release in April after being unveiled at last month’s Mobile World Congress. They will repackage the BBC’s online content, including news, video and blogs. The broadcaster also announced plans to develop apps for Android and BlackBerry handsets after the iPhone app launch was complete.

“We are focused on making BBC Online's core web propositions more user-friendly, convenient and accessible, and using existing content to create truly distinctive products around our core public service areas,” a BBC spokesperson said.

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User comments

"The group argues that the BBC giving away content for free"
It's not free. We pay for a TV licence.

By steven_h1 on 29 Mar 2010

I wonder which Rupert Murdoch is objecting?

We iPhone owners pay a TV license too. Why shouldn't we be getting BBC apps?

By cheysuli on 29 Mar 2010

The BBC already regurgitates its news reports onto various media (TV, radio, teletext, web) so why would extending use of the same stories in an iPhone app constitute unfair competition for other news sources? As has been said above, the BBC is not free, and as one that pays the licence fee I positively encourage the BBC to make the best use of its resources by reusing items rather than duplicating effort. If the competitor offerings are not sufficiently compelling, then they do not deserve to succeed anyway.

By Mat1971 on 30 Mar 2010

What's the issue here?

Since I can surf to the BBC website on the iPhone and read the news and information there, why would an app to make it easier be harming any competition? The information is already accessible, the app is just delivering it in an easier form.

And yes, I want to access iPlayer on my iPhone too and get my licence moneys worth.

By mviracca on 30 Mar 2010

BBC content for free

The app will not cost any money. It will not be restricted solely to those who pay the licence fee. They are therefore giving away content for free!

That said, I fully support any means of making more of their content more widely available within the UK, and if it can't be restricted to licence payers, fair enough, providing I'm not paying for those in America and elsewhere to have a quality news service.

I wonder just how much the Trust's "investigation" and, if it comes to it, their "lengthier investigation of public value" will cost in comparison to the apps themselves. The simple fact is that these are of a lot of value to the public, just not to other news proprietors.

By halsteadk on 30 Mar 2010

Why only iPhone??

I don't understand why the BBC should be spending Licence Fee payers money developing something specifically for the iPhone....what about the users of all the other smartphones out there....Symbian, Windows Mobile, Android, Blackberry??

By everton2004 on 30 Mar 2010

@everton2004

Yes - but how about one at a time (or at least one first) so they can see what the take-up is and get something out there more quickly, rather than waiting for all 5 to be ready? I don't want them wasting my licence payers money developing for 5 platforms if it flops on the first one.

I would also suggest that those with iPhones are also more likely to want to watch the iplayer on the move than those with others anyway?

By halsteadk on 30 Mar 2010

Bring it on

I'm a licence payer and I have an iPhone and I'd like to know who the hell these newspapers think they are? Why is it when we produce something truly great and remarkable we immediately turn round and rubbish it. Make no mistake the BBC website is an amazing piece of work and we should be proud of it, not let it be destroyed by rags mostly owned by expatriates who do not have the UK's best interests at heart. Someone show me, anywhere in the world, a better more comprehensive website and for that matter a better, (no crummy ads every five minutes) TV system.. Tell em to go to hell... One last point is that I work abroad so I DO want it to be made possible for me to see BBC content/news etc that I HAVE paid for.

By fornost0 on 1 Apr 2010

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