BBC Worldwide is going mobile TV in a big way across Europe this month with a new VOD service built exclusively for iPads.
With a diverse mix of current as well as classic British TV shows, the service will include shows such as "EastEnders," "Torchwood," "Fawlty Towers," "Sherlock, Traffic Cops, Pointless" and much more with a range of news, soaps, drama, music, sports, comedy and children's programming. The BBC initially started with the iPlayer and it quickly gained dramatic acceptance, so the next logical step was to create a service to offer a large suite of diverse programming. The service will cover Western Europe first and then branch out to Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, The Republic of Ireland, The Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and Switzerland.
The cost is approximately $10 a month, and the key is the app will allow both downloading and streaming of programming, ensuring you can catch your favorite series on the go. American fans are hoping this plan goes well as many in the U.S. would love to get their hands on this portable BBC service. Although the BBC has not announced any specific plans for America, its fit would be a natural and in particular a subscription-based tier with this wealth of content is sure to be a big hit in the states. The BBC has a specific plan to take its huge digital archive to the masses and plans to let the world in on its diverse group of popular shows. With a variety of apps already available for other properties such as "Lonely Planet" and "Good Food," the BBC has amassed more than 12 million app downloads for mobile and shows no sign of slowing down. The goal is to recreate the experience of sitting down to British TV, except being able to do it anywhere, at any time and most importantly, in any country.
