"BBC Worldwide's new global iPlayer app, allowing European iPad owners to subscribe to a specially curated 'Best of British' video service, is likely to remain niche for now, given the relatively small number of iPad users in the region (around 8 million by the end of 2011), the relatively high price (€6.99 per month), and the apparently limited access to the current shows that dominate viewing on the UK version of the iPlayer. But with a US rollout in the pipeline, this is a great opportunity for BBC Worldwide to find out how to build a successful premium service for non-UK audiences," says Thomas.
He says that tablet devices such as the iPad are generally seen as ideal devices for consuming high quality video but no major video aggregator has yet built a premium service targeted solely at iPad users. The industry needs to find a way of making such services work: Tablet manufacturers need strong video services to showcase the capabilities of their devices, while content providers need to find new app-based revenue streams.
"This feels like a soft launch of the global iPlayer, with the bigger long-term opportunities for BBC Worldwide lying in the US market. It remains to be seen what appetite there is for a service based largely around on-demand archive content, however high the quality, since most online catch-up TV services closely reflect linear TV schedules, but in the meantime the BBC's record of innovation in content distribution continues," he concludes.
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The company conducts primary and secondary research on the latest trends impacting the mobile communications, fixed communications and TV sectors, on a global basis. ITM's market intelligence services - World Cellular Information Service (WCIS), World Broadband Information Service (WBIS) and the Intelligence Centre - to give clients access to market forecasts and key performance indicators (KPIs), as well as detailed analysis and exploration of trends.
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