Little Britain, Robin Hood, Torchwood and more available
In a rare move, Apple has struck a deal with the BBC to bring a selection of BBC programmes to its digital iTunes store.
BBC Worldwide states that approximately 10 shows, including the likes of Little Britain, Spooks, Robin Hood, Life on Mars and Torchwood, will soon be available on Apple's UK iTunes store at a cost of £1.89 per episode.
Though the announcement may well appeal to users of the UK iTunes store, it is an interesting development for the BBC who will now be asking consumers to pay to view content, similar to how the corporation sells its shows on DVD.
However, how will the release of pay-to-view BBC shows on iTunes tie-in with the BBC's own free-to-view iPlayer?
Well, the idea is that recently aired shows will continue to be free to watch for UK users on BBC's iPlayer for up to eight days. After those eight days, the show would then be available to download from iTunes at a cost of £1.89.
The advantage that iTunes brings is that any purchased shows will then be playable on a PC, Mac, iPod, iPhone or Apple TV, providing viewers with the advantage of taking their favourite shows with them on the go.
"We want to give audiences a wide variety of options on how and where to view their favourite BBC shows," said Simon Danker, director of digital media at BBC Worldwide.
"With more people now choosing to watch TV shows on their iPods, fans of series such as The Mighty Boosh and The Catherine Tate Show can now enjoy those shows wherever they are."
