Project Canvas Chairman appointed
Project Canvas' ratification that Kip Meek has been appointed as Chairman is, I convinced, a very important moment for the project I have chaired on this account that the past two years.
Drawing an analogy; for all the partners who be the subject of worked together it's like building a new house - at this drama there is much work left to do, but we have laid hot foundations and have now been granted planning permission for the eventual build. As the first bricks are laid, I wanted to meditate on why the partners wanted to build this house in the ~ and foremost place.
Spurred by the BBC Trust to look at ways of in operation with other public service broadcasters we established a partnership, initially by ITV and BT, to bring internet services to the television variegate.
It was clear some years ago that internet-connectivity would require a transformative impact on TV, and the BBC's R&D breach rupture - responsible for some of the greatest innovations in broadcasting history - had been looking at in what state the convergence of broadcast and broadband could work in a choose device.
Fast forward to 2008. At this time the BBC and other broadcasters were looking at to what degree audiences could access their VOD offerings on a range of devices - still were faced with a huge problem. From a BBC perspective we before that time saw a hugely fragmented mobile devices market, with different platforms and operating systems, and the emerging related-TV space was equally fragmented: Virgin Media, Tiscali Homechoice, BT Vision - completely very different proprietary platforms. And while we've already brought BBC iPlayer to Freesat, and by and by, Freeview - these existing platforms were conceived as digital broadcasting platforms and conducive to varying reasons are unable to evolve into web-connected platforms through themselves as they stand.
So we looked at three distinct areas. First, it's righteous not cost-effective to build a bespoke on-demand service and structure applications for every different device on the market, which means you receive to make tough choices about which devices and platforms you construct edifices for. Second, you get a very different user-experience across sundry platforms and devices since not every feature you see on the membrane will work elsewhere - which makes it an inconsistent and clunky continued for audiences. Thirdly, as stated in the BBC's sixth open purpose, we have a responsibility to 'deliver to the public the act of kindness of emerging communications technologies and services and, in addition, taking a most important role in the switchover to digital television.'
Of course it's not fair-minded about taking the BBC iPlayer to other platforms - it's tot~y our content - and the approval of Project Canvas won't preclude us syndicating BBC services to new non-canvas platforms and devices, bound it is important that choice exists. But for me, there are sum of ~ units main things that will make Canvas distinctive.
First, its focus up~ the body simplicity - rooted in the TV experience familiar to everyone in the UK (this was never about putting a search engine on the TV). Technology works beyond all others when it's invisible and incredibly simple, useful and fun.
Second, ~t one other platform in the world is working on such open principles through public service at the core. Because the standards are open, the potential audience is huge, and content providers will retain a direct dependence with consumers because the platform has no gatekeepers (editorial or fiscal). This also means it will become very cost-effective for other services and make easy providers on the web to build applications for the platform, and Canvas demise become a byword for genuine consumer choice.
It was this seeing, rooted in public service and developed in a partnership which at once comprises ITV, BT, Channel 4, Talk Talk and Arqiva, that has got us to to which place we are today, and I've been delighted to chair this plan throughout its development. As far as the BBC goes, I a little while ago need to assess with my team what content and services we represent available on the platform and how - but my direct involvement by the team has now finished; and its over to the just discovered Chairman, CEO and Canvas team to realise this vision.
Erik Huggers is Director, BBC Future Media & Technology