BBC
Latest
BBC to spend millions luring kids back from Netflix and YouTube
For decades, the BBC has provided a huge amount of resources for children, whether it be TV programming, online games or GCSE revision guides. But gradually over time, companies like Netflix, Amazon and Google -- not necessarily rival broadcasters, after regulators cracked down on children's TV advertising -- have muscled in on that territory and lured younger viewers away.
BBC iPlayer: tips, tricks and other useful features
Researched and written by Nicholas Fearn The BBC has been at the forefront of broadcasting and entertainment since it launched in March 1922. Just over a decade ago, the broadcaster launched iPlayer, which quickly became one of the most popular ways to download and stream TV and radio shows in the UK. Available on a variety of smartphones, tablets, laptops and TVs, the platform allows you to catch-up on the BBC's extensive range of programming. Of course, it's come a long way since its launch in 2007. Not only has the BBC continued to add new shows and channels to iPlayer, the app itself has also undergone numerous redesigns and received new features over the years. More recently, it's placed an emphasis on 4K Ultra HD content, and BBC Three has become a digital-only channel. If you're new to the service or just want to watch the latest episode of Eastenders, here are some tips and tricks to get the most out of the BBC's popular streaming service.
Amazon UK's new video options will require a TV licence
Live TV viewers in the UK are supposed to pay a fee that supports services and content from the BBC. Lately, despite changes that closed the "iPlayer loophole," that still doesn't apply to people who only watch streaming video on-demand, so some cord-cutters can avoid the charge. However, the TV Licensing agency is reminding people that as Amazon UK rolls out its new Channel add-ons with live TV, it means that viewers are again responsible for paying the fee. Amazon's packages include channels like Eurosport, ITV Hub+ and Discovery, so as TV Licensing spokesperson Jason Hill explains "If you watch or record live TV, either through your TV or live online through a website, then you need to be covered by a TV Licence...Around 94 per cent of people are correctly licensed so are already covered to watch live TV online." Currently, an annual colour TV Licence costs £147.
BBC Store to close because people prefer streaming
The BBC has confirmed it will close its digital download store less than 18 months after it launched following poor sales and tough competition from streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Video. The corporation has begun emailing customers about the closure, noting that it has already stopped making programmes available to buy before it completely shuts down on November 1st.
Netflix and Amazon leave the BAFTA TV awards empty-handed
What should have been a night to remember became one to forget for Netflix yesterday. The company started the BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) TV awards with six nominations — five for The Crown and one for Stranger Things — but walked away with nothing. Amazon and Transparent had a similarly poor evening, losing to The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story in the international category.
iPlayer will soon require a BBC account
The majority of Brits will soon need a BBC account in order to watch iPlayer, listen to iPlayer Radio and use some of the broadcaster's other services. The BBC has said that registration will move from optional to mandatory within the next few weeks. No formal date has been set because the BBC wants to ensure as many people as possible have been given the opportunity to sign up before it flips the switch, and it's started warning users of the impending change online and within its various apps. The BBC says it's introducing mandatory logins to improve its services and user personalisation, but there's also a secondary motivation: Making sure you're paying your TV licence.
'Tomorrow's World' returns to the BBC, sort of
The BBC is bringing back Tomorrow's World, but in a different form. The beloved British TV show, which covered scientific and technological innovation from 1965 to 2003, will be used as an umbrella brand for a new, year-long season of programming. At the centre will be a "digital hub" that offers a daily curation of TV and radio shows online, as well as content produced by partners such as the Science Museum and the Royal Society.
3D audio will make the next 'Doctor Who' episode even scarier
This Saturday's episode of Doctor Who is a spooky affair called "Knock Knock," and it's getting a special binaural edition online immediately after the episode's premiere. Anyone wearing headphones (it's best experienced with headphones) can enjoy the 3D "surround sound" effect as they follow the Doctor and Bill on their latest adventure.
Facebook admits its image screening fell short
To say that Facebook has some egg on its face right now would be an understatement. The social network not only didn't take down some sexualized images of children, but reported the BBC when it drew these images to its attention. However, the company now says it has turned a corner. Facebook's Simon Milner tells the UK's Home Affairs Committee that the incident showed the company's moderation system "was not working." The offending photos have since been taken down, he says, adding that the process should be fixed.
BBC and ITV's 'BritBox' streaming service arrives in the US
The BBC and ITV have banded together to launch their own subscription streaming service in the US. They've teased "BritBox" before, but now it's actually here, for $6.99 per month on the web, Apple TV and Android (Roku, Chromecast and iOS apps are in the works.) If you've wanted a Netflix equivalent for Top Gear, Doctor Who and The Great British Bake Off, however, you'll be sorely disappointed. At launch, the service is being propped up by older classics such as Miss Marple and Sherlock Holmes (the one starring Jeremy Brett, not the Benedict Cumberbatch reboot.)
Facebook reports the BBC for flagging sexualized child images
A BBC investigation has criticised Facebook for failing to tackle inappropriate content posted by its users, specifically sexualized images of children. Reporters tested Facebook's moderation tools by flagging 100 images which it thought broke company guidelines.
BBC nature series 'Blue Planet' will return later this year
Planet Earth II has only just started airing in North America, but already the BBC is working on its next big-budget nature doc. Blue Planet II, a successor to the original Blue Planet series from 2001, will be broadcast in the UK later this year (a US release will probably come a little later.) It'll be narrated by veteran presenter Sir David Attenborough (who else) and return to the world's mysterious oceans, capturing and explaining the various creatures that lurk beneath the surface. These include water-spitting snub fin dolphins, hairy-chested Hoff crabs and a reef octopus.
Nature documentary 'Planet Earth II' is coming to Snapchat
Planet Earth II was probably the BBC's best piece of TV programming last year. The documentary series captured and, more importantly, explained the natural world with nuanced narration and breathtaking cinematography. Now, the show is coming to Snapchat. A deal between Snap Inc and the British broadcaster will see a modified version released through the social network. It'll have six episodes and, of course, be optimized for vertical viewing. Snap says the series will also use "binaural recording," a dual-microphone setup that's meant to imitate 3D stereo sound. It's not clear exactly how long each episode will be, however.
RadiTo podcast app sidesteps Iran's censorship
Fighting censorship has become an active part of life in the future we live in. To help combat it in Iran, the RadiTo app offers programming from the BBC, Iran's Radio Farda and Radio Zamaneh from Amsterdam. As Wired reports, it's available on Android and is "uniquely suited to the conditions of the country's internet." Meaning, it apparently works on slow data networks, shows can be downloaded for offline listening and programming is in a variety of under-served dialects.
Robo-reptiles spy on their flesh-and-blood counterparts
The BBC One nature show Spy in the Wild wanted to get up close and personal with some crocodiles and monitor lizards. Instead of setting up hidden cameras, though, its producers got in touch with the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne's famous robotics division. Apparently, they saw Pleurobot, the robotic life-like salamander EPFL made, and wanted machines that can blend in with real reptiles. The team ended up building two remote-controlled robots representing the two species with cameras for eyes.
BBC's 'Planet Earth' team is making a mini VR nature series
While the BBC is respected for its varied slate of programming, its nature documentaries are deservedly elevated above the rest. The corporation's second Planet Earth series recently broke viewing records in the UK and will debut in the US, but it's also been working on a new project that will bring its nature expertise to virtual reality. BBC Earth, the producer behind the groundbreaking footage, has announced a new partnership with Oculus to launch three new VR experiences, which will be available for the Rift and Samsung's Gear VR headsets in the coming weeks.
BBC and ITV launch 'BritBox' streaming service in the US
The two major broadcast networks in the UK are jointly launching a streaming service under the name BritBox. The BBC and ITV are backing a Netflix-esque service that'll showcase the best of the two firm's output. Users will be able to watch a wide range of the pair's programming, including premium dramas and sitcoms. In addition, Anglophiles will be able to view some of the country's most popular soap operas, including EastEnders and Emmerdale, a day after they air in the UK.
Amazon's 'Grand Tour' is the most pirated show ever (update)
Amazon's The Grand Tour, a reboot of the BBC's hit show Top Gear, has been an unmitigated success, with fans with its first episode alone garnering "millions" of views. It's also a hit with pirates who, instead of paying the annual $100 fee for Amazon Prime, have downloaded the first three episodes at unprecedented rates.
BBC tests 4K iPlayer with 'Planet Earth II'
For four glorious minutes, Brits will be able to watch Planet Earth II in 4K. The broadcaster is releasing some "experimental footage" in the ultra HD resolution today, which viewers can watch until "early next year" on a small number of Panasonic TVs. It's a short clip, featuring a frog in a luscious jungle and a jaguar stalking its prey. The new footage also uses Hybrid Log-Gamma (HLG), a form of High Dynamic Range (HDR) which promises sharper and more colourful images. The BBC says the test clip is an "early but important step" towards offering 4K full-time on iPlayer.
New BBC app highlights the best of David Attenborough
On Sir David Attenborough's 90th birthday earlier this year, the BBC announced it was developing a mobile app to showcase the veteran presenter's huge body of work. "Attenborough's Story of Life" is finally available to download for iOS and Android today, and features more than 1,000 curated clips from the 40-plus BBC shows Attenborough has been involved in over the past 60 years. Best of all, it's available worldwide for free, so while Brits are enjoying fresh weekly installments of 4K nature porn courtesy of Planet Earth II, the new app means everyone else can get their Attenborough fix too.
