The recently completed consumer trial of the BBC's Integrated Media Player (iMP) shows that television over the internet could revolutionise broadcasting, according to the BBC's director of new media & technology Ashley Highfield speaking last this week at the MIPTV conference in Cannes.
According to the BBC, the trial will underpin the development of the proposed MyBBCPlayer, which "aims to put the audience in the driving seat" by offering users live streamed television and radio as well as a downloadable seven-day catch-up service of TV and radio programmes. Check out the original BBC news story about MyBBCPlayer.
That service is intended to be free to all UK TV license holders but its introduction will, the BBC says, "be subject to the necessary public value test and approvals as outlined in the Government's White Paper on the BBC Charter.
Here's that White Paper, entitled, A public service for all: the BBC in the digital age, and here's the BBC's response.
The 5,000 iMP trial users were able to download BBC television and radio programmes for four months between November 2005 and February 2006 and could watch and listen to them for up to seven days after they were broadcast.
According to Highfield, the trials indicate that offering TV over internet would increase the viewing of BBC programmes, with peak-time viewing being extended by an hour later into the evening. It would also, he claimed, built loyalty to the broadcaster.
Highfield said, "This research gives us the first glimpse into viewing behaviour in the on-demand future. It provides the first significant clues as to how TV programmes over the internet could revolutionise broadcasting, and prompt a wider, cultural shift in television consumption."
The iMP is said to have appealed equally to men and women. Despite being offered a limited range of content, triallists apparently consistently watched two programmes a week via iMP on average - equivalent to an hour's viewing per week and six per cent of a typical household's weekly BBC viewing.
While the main reason for using iMP was said to be to catch up on favourite programmes, the trial also introduced users to new programmes they might otherwise not have seen. According to Highfield, "While the top five programmes accounted for a quarter of all the viewing, some niche programming performed disproportionately well. Niche programmes that would have struggled in a mainstream linear schedule performed consistently well throughout the period of the trial".
Most viewing took place between 10pm and 11pm and this, the BBC concludes, potentially extends peak viewing for an hour after the traditional linear peak time of 7pm to 10pm.
Key findings from the iMP trials were said to be:
* iMP received an overwhelming positive response – 74% said that they would recommend it to a friend
* Key benefits were that it offered genuine flexibility (to watch and to listen to programmes when they wanted), greater control and genuine, added value
* iMP was perceived primarily as a TV service: 92% claimed that they used it most to watch television programmes rather than to listen to radio
This is said to be
explained by the "established
success" of Radio Player which "leads the charge" in the BBC's
on-demand
offerings, recording over 10 million requests for radio programmes on
demand per month (11 million in January)
* The total number of TV downloads during the trial was 150,000, and the total number of viewings and listenings was 70,000
* The most popular reason for using the iMP was when a favourite programme had been missed and to watch a programme at a more convenient time
* 77% used it to watch a favourite programme that they had missed, while 64% used it to watch or listen to a programme at a more convenient time; and 32% used it to watch a programme they had never heard of
* Throughout the trial there was continuous interest in all programmes: more than 85% of titles available were downloaded, with comedy, drama and documentaries being the most popular genres
* Programmes from the BBC's digital channels performed well during the trial – BBC THREE programmes were nearly as popular as those on BBC TWO; and BBC 7 programmes performed as well as those on BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 2
* The top five TV titles watched by the 5,000 triallists represented a quarter of all iMP TV viewing. The most popular TV programmes (with the total number of viewings) were: EastEnders (7,630), Little Britain (5,511), Two Pints Of Lager And A Packet Of Crisps (3,060), Bleak House (2,027) and Top Gear (1,842)
* The top five radio programmes listened to by the 5,000 triallists represented 70% of all iMP radio listening.
The most popular
programmes (with the total number of listenings) were: The Chris Moyles Show
(683), The Archers
(312), The Goon Show
(308), Hancock's Half
Hour (298) and Round
The Horne (237)
* The average number of TV downloads per active user per month was 13, and the average number of requests-to-view per active user per month was eight
* The average number of radio downloads per active user per month was six, and the average number of requests-to-listen per active user per month was three
* The majority of iMP usage (66%) was for an hour or less at a time; usage mainly took place in the study and living room
Key issues raised in the research were said to be:
* Half of the programmes downloaded were watched; 70% claimed that one of the reasons for their failure to watch was tied to the seven-day viewing limit
* 27% said that the download speed could be improved; 78% of panellists, however, said that they would not compromise on screen size or picture quality for quicker downloads
* 76% said that it was important to be able to view iMP via the television screen, and roughly 30% of panellists said that portability was important (particularly for radio)
* 94% said that increasing the number of programme titles would improve the iMP
iMP was created and developed by the BBC's New Media & Technology Division in partnership with Siemens, Red Bee Media, Kontiki and Microsoft and Internet Service Providers AOL, Wanadoo, NTL, Tiscali, Telewest and Bulldog.
The BBC says that the technical trial of iMP won the RTS Technical Innovation Award and was nominated for an Interactive Bafta.
Don't forget to let us know your views on iMP and TV over internet in the HEXUS.community.
This article was updated at 6pm on April 10 to include more facts about the MyBBCPlayer - including the rather important one that it's intended to be free to UK license payers!
