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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, 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.