BBC To Take On iTunes, Netflix With A New On-Demand Video Service Of Its Own

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is set to make a number of changes to its online video services in a bid to take on iTunes, Netflix, and other competing on-demand streaming services.

From 2014, countless BBC TV shows will be available to purchase from a dedicated online store, and BBC iPlayer will save and offer shows for longer, a recent article from the Daily Mail explains.

The anticipated “BBC Store” will provide users with popular titles such as “Doctor Who,” “Luther,” and “Sherlock,” offering paid downloads of older TV episodes and series. One BBC insider explained that individual episodes could be downloaded for £0.99 each, and that a six-episode series would set users back around £5. By comparison, the publication goes on to note that in the British iTunes Store “Luther” is available for £5.99, while it can also be accessed using the £5.99-per-month Netflix.

In its article, the Daily Mail adds:

Volunteers are being asked to study mocked-up pages from the BBC Store website, which display a particular show together with details of its price and how to buy it.

One BBC spokesperson reportedly said: “We know people want to keep older programmes so we hope to launch BBC Store. This commercial online service will give people the opportunity to own a digital copy – just like they can on DVD – to watch and keep.”

Besides this, also in 2014 the BBC plans on making content available for longer using its online iPlayer service. Though TV shows can be viewed on-demand for seven days at present, the BBC aims to increase this limit to 30 days next year.

Both changes would be much appreciated by British iDevice users, many of whom have yet to properly invest in the iTunes Store due to its comparably high price points for TV series and movies. Though Netflix is a fairer deal, the BBC’s own competing service will certainly be of interest once it launches.

We’ll keep you updated with further information as we receive it.

In the meantime, see: How To Fix Most iOS 7 Jailbreak Tweak Issues, Take A Peek At The Upcoming iOS 7 Redesign Of Editorial In This Workflow Demo Video, and Apple’s iDevice Activations Saw An Increase Of 2.3 Times On Christmas Day.