BBC to Launch Streaming Service

The BBC has announced plans to launch its own streaming service, which would feature a mix of recorded tracks and live sessions taken from across the BBC’s TV and radio output.

In addition, audiences would have the option to create their own personalised radio stations, in what is essentially an evolution of the BBC’s current ‘Playlister’ service.

The service is described as “a new music discovery service” in Auntie’s brand spanking new ‘British Bold Creative’ report addressing its programmes and services in the next Charter.

BBC Director-General Tony Hall (pictured) said: “Audiences would be able to access this music via playlists curated by the BBC, and they would be able to build their own playlists based on the music they hear and love on the BBC. Through this digital music offer, we would reinvent our role as a trusted guide, in partnership with our audience and with the UK music industry”.

Hall explained that the service would integrate with other streaming providers, with playlists transferable between services and accessed through third party providers once they had expired on BBC services.

According to Music Business Worldwide, there are still “issues to work out” around licensing and the timing is certainly interesting, given that one of the points likely to be made as part of the current Government review is the idea that the BBC is going beyond its remit and placing its platforms in direct competition with commercial services in contradiction to its charter- though this service would seemingly be based on collaboration as opposed to straight up competition according to the cut of Hall’s jib.

Find out more and read the report addressing the bigger picture here.