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from the one-more-reason-to-cut-the-cord dept.
The BBC is planning to launch a subscription-based video streaming service in the United States.
BBC director general Tony Hall said he wanted to "try out businesses that go direct to the public" to boost the income of BBC Worldwide.
The new service, which could launch in 2016, will not affect agreements with other services such as Amazon and Hulu.
One expert told BBC News the service would probably appeal to a "niche" audience.
Lord Hall said the new service would showcase the "best of British" television to audiences in the US.
"We're launching a new over-the-top video service in America offering BBC fans programmes they wouldn't otherwise get - showcasing British actors, our programme-makers - and celebrating our culture," he said in a speech on Thursday.
Will balkanization work for streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, HBO, and now the BBC?
(Score: 3, Interesting) by aclarke on Tuesday September 22 2015, @01:08PM
I do not always watch TV, but when I do, I watch British TV. The BBC has some of the best video content in the English world. iPlayer has never been officially available in Canada, so I hope this is.
The United States has benefited greatly (and also suffered some) by making "culture" one of its exports. The UK has a lot to capitalise on in this area. I mean no offense to Americans (really), but for the sake of the rest of the English-speaking world, having a non-American, English-speaking cultural presence widely available will help broaden everyone's horizons.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday September 22 2015, @01:13PM
I hate the crap coming out of Hollywood but enjoy British shows. I'll be one of the first Americans signing up for this service.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by VLM on Tuesday September 22 2015, @01:41PM
having a non-American, English-speaking cultural presence widely available
Well there's already Al Jazeera... The problem with the "anglosphere" is politically most of their recent leaders have been quisling lapdogs of the American neocons. So its not likely that David Cameron will provide much contrast with our own local dirtbags... he hates drug legalization, hates poor people, loves cutting benefits, into prosperity gospel more or less, loves school vouchers, wants to cut back on abortion, basically our little Hitlers are indistinguishable from their little Hitlers.
About the only difference is their bootlickers "understand the support for the death penalty but don't personally support it" whereas our bootlickers love it. That's not exactly the vibrant diverse multiculturalism you might be hoping for.
Also raining on the parade, I'm old enough to have seen the brit "Scrapheap Challenge" and the import "Junkyard Wars" and at least initially there's not a hell of a big difference other than British slang occasionally being hilarious to Americans. Oh and even the most incomprehensible American accents make more sense than some UK accents, I always LOLed that only Scrapheap Challenge had and needed occasional subtitles.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday September 22 2015, @02:49PM
BBC has a lot to do with Al Jazeera.
Al Jazeera rose from the ashes of BBC Arabia.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday September 22 2015, @03:31PM
> Well there's already Al Jazeera...
If only we could get AJ, or even better AJA (Al Jazeera America), online in the US.
Those guys are idiots for not having a streaming option for the american market.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday September 22 2015, @06:12PM
Huh, that's news to me. I thought the BBC was all about multiculturalism and supporting the hordes of savage military-age males overruning your country and pushing it's social systems to the breaking point.
Leftist scum demand equal rights for women, and yet demand that islamic barbarians be let loose within your country.
(Score: 2) by richtopia on Tuesday September 22 2015, @03:10PM
I am also frustrated with the iPlayer support outside the UK; I reside in the USA. Unfortunately I'm skeptical if the iPlayer will be truly recreated outside the UK thanks to licensing issues.
I find it ironic that I can listen to the BBC radio programs on demand via PC, however licensing dictates the iPlayer mobile app cannot support this. BUT I'M NOT COMPLAINING. PLEASE DON'T TAKE AWAY THE PC SUPPORT.
(Score: 3, Funny) by Phoenix666 on Tuesday September 22 2015, @03:33PM
The trouble is, Steven Moffat can't write everything the BBC produces. He's one guy. I mean, he's truly gifted, he really is, but even he can jump the shark. Take the Torchwood finale, for example; it nearly made my wife mis-carry, so upset was she.
Washington DC delenda est.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday September 22 2015, @07:13PM
Torchwood was awful. Truly truly dire.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday September 22 2015, @05:44PM
The United States has benefited greatly (and also suffered some) by making "culture" one of its exports.
Sure. But the rest of the world, especially minority culture, has suffered greatly from American uncultural export. 'We're all living in America', as Rammstein put it.
(Score: 2) by aclarke on Tuesday September 22 2015, @07:48PM
That was pretty much my point. The United States has benefited from its culture exports, and the rest of us could do with some diversity.
That Rammstein song is great. I happen to be "next door" in the Netherlands at the moment, and spent some time shopping for clothes for my kids this evening. I was really struck by how many of the labels sound vaguely American. For example, I saw a jacket branded "America State College" or something like that. It's this "American culture" (it's hard not to put that in quotes) that's exported and translated worldwide. The BBC somewhat fulfils this role for the UK, but it has the opportunity to be more.