On-demand distribution of BBC shows just got a little bit easier — and even more Mac-friendly — with the release of several BBC series to buy on iTunes.
The opening slate, which is expected to grow quite rapidly, includes past series such as Little Britain (series 3), both series of Life on Mars
and the most recent series of The Catherine Tate Show
and Robin Hood
.
Notably, though, they are also offering episodes of series which are still airing on the BBC - the roster here including Ashes to Ashes, Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps
and Torchwood
.
The deal here seems to be (and, in lieu of a formal press release from either Apple or BBC Worldwide, I’m having to surmise from looking at the iTunes Store directly) that episodes will become available to buy (at £.1.89 a pop) as soon as they’re no longer available for free from the licence fee-funded (and free to view) iPlayer. So Torchwood fans should be able to buy last week’s BBC2 episode, Adam, later this week.
Although the BBC and its commercial arm, BBC Worldwide, are doing their best to keep a dividing line between the two operations online, it’s clear that when third parties start to become involved that line is already becoming fuzzier. While the BBCW page on the iTunes store is clearly branded as a BBC Worldwide property, on the TV Programmes page it’s just listed as “BBC” in the Studios/Channels list. Not a big thing, one may argue, but especially with on-air series being sold through this outlet, the nominal separation between BBC and BBC Worldwide, already flimsy in the minds of some members of the public and the press, may come to seem non-existent however hard the Corporation tries.
Unlike US iTunes users, it seems here in the UK we don’t get the option to buy ‘season passes’ to preorder episodes of a whole series in advance. This feature hasn’t yet turned up on any distributor’s series available from iTunes. This makes the cost of each episode — already twice the price of episodes on the US store — seem especially churlish.
Are these shows value for money? A full season of Torchwood will set you back £24.57 if you buy every episode. That’s cheaper than the RRP of either the single DVDs or the eventual box set, and you’ll get them a lot sooner. On the other hand, you won’t get any behind-the-scenes extras or commentary tracks. And although the iTunes copy protection
There are flaws with the iTunes approach (apart from the DRM issues). For instance, the flat fee structure means that you end up being charged the same for a half-hour episode of Two Pints of Lager as you would for 50 minutes-plus of Spooks.
But ultimately, it makes good British television (and Two Pints, which I wouldn’t necessarily put into the ‘good’ category) more readily available, it puts money back into production via BBC Worldwide, and the use of an existing distribution mechanism in Apple’s iTunes Store means that the Corporation doesn’t spend huge amounts of technical R&D money on reinventing the wheel.
I think the Beeb (and Apple) missed a trick by not releasing HD versions. You need Sky at the moment to watch BBC HD shows, but HD versions would look very nice when pumped off the recently discounted Apple TV and open up new markets for both organisations.