The BBC is going to let you keep some downloads – if you pay for it.
Roly Keating, who heads the corporation’s archive team, has just confirmed that it is going ahead following a talk by director general Mark Thompson on a kind of ‘iPlayer for keeps, no returns’.
I’m excited not just because I worked on the original, ‘do pay attention’ iPlayer that takes things down after a while (not the BBC’s preferred choice I must add, but too many rights holders spoil the download broth), so it’s good that downloads are going to be permanent.
It makes sense, the last couple of blurays I bought came with a free digital download, and while iTunes offers some BBC downloads, it’s not perfect for users or the Corporation due to Apple’s strict control.
Shame that Mad Men won’t be on it as Sky Atlantic have poached it, but where iPlayer led others have followed – this could be the same.
