BBC Worldwide to offer first-run TV to Australia through Foxtel in mid-2014

Australians have long had access to the BBC, although a current four-channel lineup on Foxtel won't completely satisfy fans of British TV when it's just a sliver of the content they know. BBC Worldwide should be closing some of that (figurative) distance, though, with plans to offer a premium channel through Foxtel's network. The as-yet-unnamed service will give Aussies a chance at first-run BBC shows about a year before they'd broadcast over the air there. and without ads. (Pretty good for not having a UK TV license.) The BBC content will naturally be available in HD, as well as for mobile streaming through Foxtel Go. About the only drawback to the channel outside of its premium nature is the mid-2014 start date, but that may be a small sacrifice for determined Anglophiles and ex-pats.

[Source: Engadget]

BBC Two HD launches today, Freeview HD reaches 3.5 million

BBC Two HD launched today, bringing high-definition versions of Auntie's second-best programmes to millions of high-def homes.

BBC 2 shows to be broadcast in extra-crisp detail include The Great British Bake Off, Later... with Jools Holland, and, of course, Top Gear.

Previously, BBC HD showed highlights of BBC shows from across the Beeb board. But BBC Two HD is just the same as BBC Two only with more pixels stuffed into Jeremy Clarkson's increasingly gravity stretched face.

By my reckoning, that means only BBC One and BBC Two shows will be broadcast in high def, which means no more HD for programmes that live on BBC Three or other BBC channels.

From today, BBC Two HD is on channel 102 of your Freeview box, directly replacing the previous BBC HD channel. It's also in the same place on other TV services, except Sky, where it's been shunted to channel 142 to sit next to BBC One HD.

The BBC is also experimenting with its HD channels. For example, the 50th anniversary episode of Doctor Who will be broadcast in 3D on the HD channel on Saturday 23 November.

Freeview reckons the appetite for high definition is large and growing: Freeview HD is now in the main television in 3.5m living rooms, the second biggest HD service after Sky+ HD. Freeview hopes to see another ten high definition channels in the coming year.

[Source: CNET]

BBC vows to make six iPlayer-only films in next two years

The BBC has vowed to make six online-only short films over the next two years, that will live online service rather than being broadcast on TV.

The films themselves will be drama-based, and will be streamed exclusively over the Beeb's popular iPlayer catch-up service, viewable on all manner of gadgets from tablets, smart phones, smart tellies and laptops.

"Audiences will be able to discover, share and enjoy these dramas whenever and wherever they chose," the BBC's Hilary Salmon stated. It's not clear when the short films will air, but as they've just been commissioned we could be waiting a little while.

The move is a joint venture between BBC Three and BBC Drama, so I wouldn't be surprised if the films themselves are focused on those perennially pesky young people that the Beeb's third channel is aimed at.

The BBC's decision to produce streaming-only video follows subscriber service Netflix's release of House of Cards, a high-profile TV show that's only available online via the red-hued service.

It's less unusual for the BBC to make streaming-only TV of course, as it's already in the business of producing programmes. The Beeb's plot to "showcase more exclusive content" on iPlayer is more evidence however that television is increasingly moving online.

Unlike Netflix, the BBC allows iPlayer programmes to be downloaded, so if you have a compatible device like a laptop or iPhone, you could store these upcoming mini-movies to watch offline. Android devices are yet to get offline downloads, sadly.

[Source: CNET]

BBC Twitter accounts hijacked by 'Syrian Electronic Army'

Several BBC Twitter accounts were hacked today, seemingly taken over by a group calling itself the 'Syrian Electronic Army'.

Control of the Weather, Radio Ulster and Arabic Twitter feeds was wrestled away from the Beeb, with the hackers posting a string of bizarre weather reports for the Middle East.

Every dodgy tweet has since been deleted, though Digital Spy has used Storify to preserve the tweets posted on BBC Weather, if you're curious.

"Saudi weather station down due to head-on collision with camel," one tweet reads. The final tweet sent from the hijacked meteorological account read, "Syrian Electronic Army was here," with a link to the group's own Twitter page.

BBC Weather has apologised, tweeting, "Sorry about that, we were hacked. Normal service resumes."

To hack a Twitter account, you need the account holder's Twitter name and password. One way to make the microblogging service more secure would be to offer two-step authentication.

Using this process, when you sign in from a new location you have to enter your password as well as a one-use code that is texted to your phone. Facebook and Gmail both already offer this security option, which is extra secure as any would-be hacker would require access to the account holder's phone as well as their password.

[Source: CNET]

BBC iPlayer comes to Windows Phone, not quite an app

Do you want the short version or the long version? Short version: iPlayer is coming to Windows Phone.

Still here? Then here's the long version. The BBC today announced that Windows Phone would join iOS, Android and BlackBerry as the latest mobile operating system to support iPlayer, via a dedicated live tile.

That means you'll soon be able to watch catch-up and on-demand TV shows and films from Auntie Beeb on your Windows Phone phone, whether it's running Windows Phone 7.5 software -- like the Nokia Lumia 800 -- or Windows Phone 8 -- like the Nokia Lumia 920 and HTC 8S.

It's not technically an app, but a shortcut that gets its own coloured square, or live tile, leading directly to the iPlayer online player. The launch date is yet to be confirmed. 

iPlayer is already available on iOS, Android and even Blackberry, but they've historically given Windows Phone the cold shoulder, with the Beeb repeatedly denying Microsoft's OS the privilege.  

It seems that the BBC has had a change of heart however, with iPlayer joining big names like Spotify, Twitter and WhatsApp in entering the Windows Phone world. Windows is still lagging a long way behind established app stores like Android's Google Play and Apple's App Store though.

Meanwhile Auntie's online player goes from strength to strength as it continues to expand to new platforms. Last year more than 2.5 million people per month watched or listened online by one device or another.

[Source: CNET]

Olympic opener tops iPlayer as mobile viewing skyrockets

iPlayer viewer numbers were higher than ever in 2012, the BBC boasts, with a huge boost in traffic coming from smart phone and tablet owners.

The London 2012 Olympic opening ceremony was the most-viewed programme last year, pulling in a whopping 3.3 million pairs of eyeballs. Smug car-a-thon Top Gear was a close second with 2.8 million views, while angular national treasure Benedict Cumberbatch attracted 2.5 million streams with Sherlock.

Divulging the stats behind its streaming service, the Beeb says it witnessed a 177 per cent jump in the number of viewers using smart phones and tablets -- a quarter of iPlayer's total streams.

36.5 billion minutes of programming were transmitted through iPlayer, the BBC says, with a total of 2.32 billion TV and radio programme requests. 

iPlayer recently added the ability to download programmes to your mobile gadget for offline viewing -- if you're using an iPhone, iPod touch or iPad that is. The experiment seems to have worked, as 10.8 million shows were downloaded to Apple's shiny devices following the launch of downloadable programmes in September.

That's tooth-grinding news for Android fans, who have been waiting not-so-patiently for the offline-viewing feature to arrive on Google's platform. Last year I spoke to iPlayer big cheese Daniel Danker, who cited fragmentation -- the issue that there are too many screen sizes, pixel resolutions and processor types to make Android development easy -- as one reason fans had been left waiting.

[Source: CNET]

Doctor Who returns 30 March ahead of 50th birthday special

The Doctor is back in the house this Easter. Doctor Who returns to our screens on Saturday 30 March, in the lead-up to the programme's historic 50th anniversary this year.

The TARDIS returns on the bank holiday weekend, so we can watch the Doctor's latest adventure while stuffing our faces with Easter eggs and not worrying about work.

There are eight episodes, once again starring Matt Smith as the bow-tied Time Lord, and featuring Jenna-Louise Coleman as mysterious new companion Clara.

Apparently this is the second half of season seven, even though it's six whole months since the first half of series seven ended. Honestly, when did this this mid-season break business become a thing? 

This year marks the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who, which first materialised on British tellies on 23 November 1963. To celebrate, the BBC is planning a birthday bonanza of Who-themed hullabaloo. Each month sees a screening of classic episodes from each Doctor at the BFI and the programme gets back to its educational roots in a partnership with the Science Museum. There will also be commemorative Royal Mail stamps in March.

A series of documentaries fill follow series seven, including a one-hour 50th anniversary special -- presumably on the anniversary itself, which handily falls on a Saturday, and is heavily rumoured to feature the return of every Doctor -- as well as An Adventure in Time and Space, a 90-minute drama about the genesis of the show written by Mark Gatiss.

[Source: CNET]

BBC launches Earth Unplugged channel on YouTube, gives us online nature beyond the cat clips

Many would call the BBC the go-to name for nature documentaries; unless you happen to tune in at the right moments or buy a spheroid collector's set, however, it's not always easy to follow along. We'll all have an easier time getting our fill now that the broadcaster has launched its promised nature channel, Earth Unplugged. The streaming video station centers on seven shows that range from the obligatory baby animal segments -- this is YouTube, after all -- through to dinosaurs and looks at nature professionals. Earth Unplugged won't necessarily have us tossing our Blu-ray collections, but it should provide some welcome educational material once we're done watching box-loving cats.

[Source: Engadget]

BBC launches iPlayer Radio: a separate radio-only mobile app and web UI

No one can accuse the BBC of neglecting radio in its quest for streaming nirvana -- not when the number of radio listeners on iPlayer has shot up 56 percent in a year (and 300 percent on tablets). Nevertheless, from tomorrow morning, iPhone users will find a brand new way to listen to their favorite content: a dedicated radio app with a spinning dial which -- compared to the regular iPlayer app -- will put much greater emphasis on live shows rather than catch-up. There'll also be mobile-friendly features like an alarm clock which will wake you up to your choice of show, reminders for shows you just can't miss, and the ability to identify current and recently-played songs at a glance. The app will reach Android too, as soon as some Flash-related difficulties have been ironed out, and its alarm function will benefit from slightly better multi-tasking on Google's OS, so you won't have to leave the app open before you fall asleep. If you don't want to wait or if you're outside the UK, check out the desktop iPlayer at the source link, or the gallery below, and you'll see just what the Corporation's philosophy about treating radio differently -- rather than as "TV minus video" -- actually looks like.

[Source: Engadget]

BBC iPlayer for iOS gets Retina display support for iPad

The BBC has just finished what was probably the best coverage of the Olympic games in the world, but the corporation is not slowing down. Today the BBC released an update to its wildly popular BBC iPlayer app for iOS.

The major feature improvement in this update is support for the new iPad's Retina display. Other changes include improved video performance for better playback, bug fixes and "general tidying, so you'll notice even smoother performance," and more Voice Over controls for better accessibility.

BBC iPlayer version 1.3.2 is a free download from the UK App Store. Now let's just hope BBC and Apple can agree to get iPlayer on the Apple TV.

[Source: TUAW]

BBC shows off 33-megapixel Super Hi-Vision Olympic footage

The first live Super Hi-Vision broadcast for public consumption was of the Olympic opening ceremony in London last week. We didn't get to see that premiere, or the second or third screenings either -- but the fourth? Oh yes. We grabbed a seat right up front of a small theater inside BBC Broadcasting House, watched a live 33-megapixel feed from the Aquatics Center and absorbed some very fond memories in the process. At the same time, a question hung over the footage like a watermark: why bother? The world is barely getting to grips with the notion of 4K, so why did the BBC and Japanese broadcaster NHK go to the expense of sending a dedicated SHV video truck, a 22.2-channel SHV audio truck, and the world's only three 8K Ultra HDTV cameras to London? Fortunately, we caught up with someone in charge who was able to respond to that question. Read on for what they said, plus a slightly fuller sense of what the footage was like to watch.

[Source: To read the full article visit Engadget]

BBC Digital Earning BIG Bucks

Seems like the British Broadcasting Corporation has finaly started to understand digital media. According to Techcrunch, the BBC now has 25 million app downloads which account for 13% of its revenue.

"Those VOD downloads, the BBC says, were triple this year compared to the year before, with sales coming not just from over-the-top providers like Netflix, but also “established broadcasters,” a sign of how these older companies will not go gently into the night as Netflix continues its download march, with an increasing shift of viewing time on its service dedicated to TV shows rather than films (a trend that would play into the hand of BBC Worldwide, which has a far greater catalog of TV shows than it does feature films)."