Ears On

BBC Goes Online

Mark Fleischmann  |  May 30, 2007

The British Broadcasting Corporation has been busy lately. Its iPlayer is about to relaunch following a beta test. It will enable viewers to download single episodes or entire series a month after airing. In other BBC news, an archival project will put a million hours of historic material online for free, according to the Guardian. In this case there's a catch. You'll have to pay the annual BBC license fee to access it. The archives include an interview with John Lennon and Yoko Ono, conducted two days before the shooting, in which they candidly discuss the impact of their relationship on the Beatles. There's also an interview with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., conducted the day before his death, in which he says: "The important thing isn't how long you live, but how well you live."

COMMENTS
AL MYERS's picture
Submitted by AL MYERS (not verified) on May 31, 2007 - 1:07pm

There is BBC "soap opera" that I've been hooked on for over ten years - EASTENDERS. BBC America, which showed it two weeks after the broadcast in England dropped it from their schedule and the local PBS station runs it about 3 years late. Does this mean I can down load fairly current episodes on a regular basis if I'm willing to pay a small fee?

Mark Fleischmann's picture
Submitted by Mark Fleischmann (not verified) on May 31, 2007 - 6:00pm

Unfortunately, according to the British newspaper from which I sourced the story, the archival service will be available only to BBC license holders -- in other words, British residents who pay the government a fee for the right to own a TV. Unless you live in Britain, you're not eligible. Apologies for not having made this clearer. However, who knows, maybe the Beeb will broaden the operation down the line.

higherfi2's picture
Submitted by higherfi2 (not verified) on June 2, 2007 - 9:41am

Hopefully, it will be available to all for free soon. http://www.homehteaterinsider.net

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