Newspapers challenge BBC phone apps
Yesterday saw the BBC announce news and sport apps for the smartphone market, with the iPhone being followed by Blackberry, Android, and others. Twenty-four hours later and print media is expressing its displeasure at the plans, arguing that the BBC apps will affect the chances of their own commercial news apps being successful.
The BBC’s news and sport apps are great news for smartphone users but they may not be such good news for print media’s ambitions to enter the same market. The BBC’s apps will be free, whereas newspaper are looking to charge for the mobile content and, according to BBC News, the Newspaper Publishers Association (NPA) is going to fight this all the way for its members’ interests.
The NPA is going to raise concerns with the BBC Trust, which governs the Corporation, and even lobby the British government over this issue. The BBC claims that all the apps are is a repackaging of existing Web content, while the NPA is seeking a ‘Public Value Test’ to be carried out as it regards the apps as a new service entirely.
I can see both sides of the argument and I think this one will go around the houses for a while before a decision is made. My guess is that the BBC apps will see the light of day, but not before the BBC Trust has its say on the matter.
Related Posts:
February 19th, 2010
I am fed up with these attacks on the BBC providing public service broadcasting through any channel it can.
It’s interesting to see there are several fledging facebook groups protesting (my favourite being “BBC apps not advertising pap!”). Doubt there’ll be many arguing for News International and co.’s profits.