BBC iPlayer for Xbox 360 delayed due to conflict with subscriptions
As far as the British are concerned, the BBC iPlayer is already available on the Wii and PS3. What’s the hold-up for Xbox 360? According to sources close to BBCÂ’s Future Media and Technology department, the delay is due to the conflict between BBC’s public service remit and the fact that Microsoft wants to charge for the service via Gold and Sky subscriptions.
As far as the British are concerned, the BBC iPlayer is already available on the Wii and PS3. What’s the hold-up for Xbox 360? According to sources close to BBCÂ’s Future Media and Technology department, the delay is due to the conflict between BBC’s public service remit and the fact that Microsoft wants to charge for the service via Gold and Sky subscriptions.
According to the source:
Microsoft only wants to offer its users access to platforms it can charge for as this is the model it is pursuing. It wants to ensure that only those paying for Xbox Live Gold accounts can access its additional content services and even then there is usually a charge on top to get access to those. For example, to access the Sky Player on Xbox, you have to pay for a Gold subscription as well as a Sky subscription.
“This does not fit with the BBCÂ’s model and Microsoft will not budge at the moment,” the source said. It is really frustrating for those involved on the BBC side who want to make sure iPlayer is rolled out on as many popular entertainment platforms as possible.”
The thing is, BBC can’t charge the British for iPlayer since it’s already included in the license fee. This definitely conflicts with the fact that Microsoft offers the service only to Gold subscribers.
A BBC spokesperson has commented:
BBC iPlayer has been extremely successful on PS3 and we recently re-launched on Nintendo Wii, from which the public response has been fantastic. People clearly want the BBC iPlayer on their gaming consoles, and we donÂ’t think Xbox users are any different, so weÂ’ve had discussions with Microsoft about bringing the service to the platform.
Microsoft has yet to make a comment about the matter, but the service delay means that the two competing consoles will have one thing that they don’t, and it’ll go on indefinitely.
BBC iPlayer on consoles:
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