BBC launches iPlayer for Aussie iPads

David Swan
Thursday, 29 September 2011 12:15

Your IT - Mobility

BBC launched its BBC iPlayer App in Australia today, providing iPad users with 'over 1000 hours' of classic and contemporary content, but for a price.

The app provides a video on demand subscription service that cost users a monthly subscription fee of AU$9.49 or AU$89.99 a year.

It joins a growing list of iPad subscription services vying for users' money, including Fox Sports On Demand, and newspaper offerings like The Age and Herald Sun.

Viewers will apparently be able to sample select content for free before deciding whether to subscribe or not.

In a release, BBC noted that the app offers eight genres of content: News Specials & Documentaries; Entertainment; Drama; Comedy; Science & Nature; Family &Kids; Music & Culture; and Lifestyle.  

The more notable shows on offer include Little Britain, A Bit Of Fry And Laurie and Absolutely Fabulous, along with dramas like Pride and Prejudice

One nifty feature is subscribers can either stream or download shows for offline viewing for when Wi-Fi or 3G connectivity is unavailable.  

Experts are already somewhat critical, however, due to the fact much of the app's content is already freely available on YouTube or other online sites.

The service also compares unfavourably to Spotify, for example, a US services which offers millions of tracks for streaming, at no charge.

Tony Iffland, General Manager, BBC Worldwide Australia said, 'The global BBC iPlayer will enable Australian iPad users to access the best of British television, wherever and whenever they want to view it. It is a unique proposition offering a quality, enjoyable and engaging experience for viewers through editorially curated content, rather than catch up content.

'The launch of global BBC iPlayer in Australia marks an important step forward for BBC Worldwide Australia's digital growth and our intention to bring quality British content to audiences in an innovative, creative and easily accessible format.'

The app is available from today for free download, and will be an interesting test case to see how many users are willing to cough up their hard earned.