So, the thin end of the welcome wedge is here. The BBC is to start releasing content to YouTube. I read about it in a small corner in the Guardian but by my reckoning, this is big news - for two reasons:
Firstly, many in the TV industry would have you believe the a large box is still the best way to watch television. But that’s an idea rooted in the days when the family huddled around the radiogram drinking Ovaltine. Of course there are those who wish to have others schedule their viewing arrangements for them. But for those who prefer to schedule their own daily diet of TV entertainment, this is the dawning of a new era. That’s a very welcome break indeed.
But there is a commercial issue here which also needs to be addressed. Strictly speaking BBC content is paid for by holders of TV licenses. TV license fees fund the BBC whilst commercial advertising revenue funds the commercial channels - ITV, C4, C5 and Sky etc. There is an argument to say that if the BBC attracts commercial revenue, it deprives the other broadcasters who don’t have the lofty privilege of guaranteed licence fee income. So the question is, what is Google paying the BBC for this content and where is the money going?
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