RSSBBC, Microsoft Sign Strategic Alliance
By Scott M. Fulton, III | Published September 28, 2006, 12:40 PM
Though the details remain sketchy at present, officials from the BBC and Microsoft at a high-profile, if low-detail, press tour conducted yesterday, signed what's being described as a "memorandum of understanding" that may spell out the terms under which the two companies work together to build what the BBC describes as a "radically re-invented Web site in the Web 2.0 world."
"To ensure that the BBC is able to embrace the creative challenges of the digital future," BBC director-general Mark Thompson stated this morning, "we need to forge strategic partnerships with technology companies and distributors for the benefit of license payers."
By "license payers," Thompson is referring to viewers who, in the world of British television, pay licensing fees for the right to receive BBC content.
As the BBC moves more of its focus away from the "cable broadcasting" model that are at the roots of the company, one of its key challenges is to be able to utilize the Internet without finding itself giving away all its content. Although the BBC is an agency licensed by the British government, whose licenses are regulated by law, it is a for-profit corporation.
Thompson's reference to "license payers" is perhaps the most telling clue we have with regard to the BBC's plans, which may involve extending end-user licenses to Internet-based content.
Both companies made clear that their agreement was non-exclusive. While Microsoft now has an option to sell off its remaining 18% stake in MSNBC in 2007, under an agreement signed last December with majority owner NBC Universal, it may wish to continue some kind of strategic alliance where it continues to provide services, at least to MSNBC.com. A non-exclusive deal with the BBC leaves Microsoft free to pursue that option.
"The memorandum of understanding aims to identify areas of common interest between the BBC and Microsoft on which a strategic alliance could be developed," this morning's statement reads. However, it adds that if the BBC wishes to procure any new technology from Microsoft, as for all procurements by the Corp., it would need to seek regulatory approval.
Microsoft is in the process of providing more and more "Web 2.0" functionality tools to Web site developers for free, including its newly renamed ASP.NET AJAX Extensions, formerly known as "Atlas." In turn, it may be interesting to learn what new technologies, if any, that the BBC may have a chance to premiere first. BetaNews has contacted Microsoft for further comment, which may yet be forthcoming.
-- By "license payers," Thompson is referring to viewers who, in the world of British television, pay licensing fees for the right to receive BBC content. --
This is incorrect. License payers pay for possessing TV receiving equipment (i.e. a TV). This means that, even if you never watch or listen to BBC output, you have to pay the fee to fund the BBC. As I live in UK and only rarely access BBC output, I find this quite annoying.
Currently there are issues about the BBC making content available on its website. For example, many news videos are available, which viewers normally have to pay a license fee to fund, but which are made available to everyone for free. It is hard to see how the BBC and MS can work around this, unless they go the pay-per-view route, which would certainly cause uproar in the British public and in parliament.
On a lighter note, given the BBC's penchant for following/copying what its commercial competitors are doing, I suppose Microsoft may be the BBC's ideal partner :-)
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SUMMARY
In summary: The BBC is just as much a hack
for failed Socialist ideology as Microsoft's
other partner ...NBC.
Expect MS-BBC to propagandize the same old
anti-American, anti-Israel, pro-terrorist, pro-French,
drivel.
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The Computer Rodent
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"For £12 a month
we get a corporation
which delivers as
close to impartial
news as possible"
...
Huh ? Your favorite rodent don't live in Britain
to watch BBC tv, but read the BBC News web site
daily. And the BBC ~isn't~ "impartial". It's a
Leftist propaganda mill ...pro-terrorist, anti-Israel,
anti-American, anti-Bush, anti-Blair, pro-Socialist !
Come to think of it, the BBC's political biases
will synch nicely with those of Microsoft and
NBC.
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The Computer Rodent
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|You've nailed it.
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|"By "license payers," Thompson is referring to viewers who, in the world of British television, pay licensing fees for the right to receive BBC content."
Not like we have a choice. If you have a TV, or a VCR, you are required BY LAW to have a TV licence ... just so you can watch endless repeats and rubbish soap operas.
"Thompson's reference to "license payers" is perhaps the most telling clue we have with regard to the BBC's plans, which may involve extending end-user licenses to Internet-based content."
And I'm sure our TV licence fee will be raised to cover this fantastic new content. Yet more opportunities to be ripped off for content 1/2 the UK isn't interested in.
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"I'm sure our
TV licence fee
will be raised
to cover this
fantastic new
content"
...
And, it ~ought~ to be !
You Brits need a dose of Reality TV wherein
'Marxist Britain' gets it's head out of the mosque,
ceases kow towing to French Socialists, and
begins to take Oprah seriously.
Dr. Phil is your ~only~ hope !
If you don't get with the program, we'll keep
having to raise your tv licensing fee.
The PC Rat isn't joking, bub.
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The Computer Rodent
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|For £12 a month we get a corporation which delivers as close to impartial news as possible. Perhaps you don't know how bad the television media is in other Western countries. Do you really want a Fox News in the UK?
The content on the BBC easily surpasses that of ITV, Sky and other commercial broadcasters. Plus, there aren't any ads, jusy annoying trailers.
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|"For £12 a month we get a corporation which delivers as close to impartial news as possible. Perhaps you don't know how bad the television media is in other Western countries. Do you really want a Fox News in the UK?"
No, I want a *choice* of whether I watch the BBC or not. I find very little of interest to watch on any of their channels, and fail to see why I should be FORCED to subscribe to something I don't watch! Believe it or not, not everybody likes Eastenders/constant repeats of old shows/housebuying programs/insert other drivel here.
If you like it, fine. You pay for it. Owning a TV or VCR should not mean I have to buy a licence for the BBC, whos content I don't watch or listen to.
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|"close to impartial news as possible"
You surely are joking.
The BBC? The most anti-American broadcasting network in the world, Aljazeera aside. Don't make me laugh.
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MS-NBC now MS-BBC ?
Those who ignore history are bound to repeat
it's mistakes !
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The Computer Rodent
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|The BBC is NOT an agency of the UK Gov't, nor is it a "for profit" corporation.
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"The BBC is NOT an
agency of the UK Gov't"
...
It's an arm of the Communist Party, isn't it ?
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The Computer Rodent
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|Yes, alongside the Republican Party.
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|That's the worst one-liner I've ever read.
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|And here I thought you were going to call it a leg of the Communists. There are meds for your condiiton. They come with a .45. :>
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|Seriously, with Microsoft? Only bad things will come of a relationship that ties you so firmly into one supplier that embrassing open standards with a firm boot in the ass. The BBC has one of the worlds finest websites for up to the minute relevant content... I seriously hope they reconsider this.
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|"we need to forge strategic partnerships with technology companies and distributors"
Notice the plural.
I wouldn't be too worried.
The BBC won't hack up any old crap. They'll take the best of both worlds.
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|oh snap
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|That'll be nice if it all works out.
The BBC often makes new innovative things.
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