A new guilty pleasure
I’m going to admit to something but you can’t tell anybody. For years I’ve been saying that I hate all American sitcoms – they just don’t get comedy (with the exception of The Office US which is a British creation anyway). But that isn’t the revelation.
Spaced on iTunes
TV programmes have been available to buy from the iTunes store in the UK for a while now – but until a few weeks ago there was so little on there worth buying (nothing of note made in the UK) that I never bothered to look at it.
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AppleTV tips for Podcasters
I, and I’m sure everybody else with a Apple podcaster account have just received a series of Tips on making my Video Podcast more usable on the new Apple TV.
iPlayer Downloads on a Mac?
BBC New Media head, Ashley Highfield, has hinted in a blog post that we may soon see iPlayer downloads made available on the AppleTV using their new rental model.
The post was a follow up to one he made asking users for tips on how to get content from his PC to the television – so he could watch downloads on the big screen. The follow up post was a response to comments on the original – but also included a small throwaway line in the middle.
He was talking about the AppleTV and its improvements and how this could be the idea solution for getting downloaded video content on to a TV without having to mess about with wires and software.
He then went on to say that “This, coupled with Apple’s (long anticipated) move to a rental model, means that we can look to getting BBC iPlayer onto this platform too, as we should be able to use the rental functionality to allow our programmes to be downloaded, free, but retained for a time window, and then erased, as our rightsholders currently insist.”
Exciting stuff and as the rental model also works on Desktop and laptop machines – it could be a way for the BBC to offer iPlayer downloads for the Mac as well as Windows – I wonder whether this would be through a BBC iPlayer section of iTunes or whether the Beeb would be able to get permission to use Fairplay Rental on iPlayer files.
The missing link
I’ve written quite a lot recently about the iPlayer and the other related catch-up services offered by ITV, Channel 4 and to a MUCH lesser extend five and SKY.
These are all great concepts, giving me the chance to watch almost any show broadcast on that channel for up to a week after broadcast – I’ve used the BBC, ITV and Channel 4 offerings quite a lot – mainly when I forget to Sky+ something or when my wife already has two shows lined up for that time.
But these solutions are never really going to hit mainstream – ok so they’re getting really good numbers – more than a million viewers since Christmas watching around 3.5 million shows – but that doesn’t mean it will hit mainstream.
I’ve spoken to a number of people who have said they’ll never use the iPlayer because they don’t want to sit in front of a small screen watching TV when they’ve got a big screen in their living room for doing that on.
I know a number of people that HAVE already used the service – mainly people bored in an office needing a lunchtime fix – after all it is pretty easy to use – select a show and press play! But I think there are more people out there that would like to use a catch-up service but can’t get their head around it.
These people might have WiFi at home (after all most ISPs offer it as a default set-up option now) but don’t have the computer skills to get the streaming services working OR don’t want to watch on a small screen.
Enter the set-top-box idea.
Basically for the iPlayer and all related products to reach mass appeal it needs to be as easy to use as Freeview or Sky+ – it really needs to be on a set-top-box that plugs into the scart socket of the TV and just works when you turn it on.
But I don’t think for a second the BBC, ITV or any broadcaster should think about building their own box – but if BBC, ITV and Channel 4 released an SDK or similar for their catch-up services to hardware manufacturers it would mean we could start to see boxes with iPlayer streaming built in.
On such box is the newly revamped Apple TV – it would fit the bill (even if it is a bit costly) as it already plays streamed video from You Tube, lets you download directly from the iTunes store and has podcast download support.
An iPlayer menu on the Apple TV could give you access to the iPlayer streaming service, could eventually include the iPlayer download service (maybe with Fairplay DRM) and give you access to all the BBC audio podcasts (and video podcasts when they re-launch them).
To me this would be the real missing link – it would mean I could comfortably sit on the sofa and watch anything from the iPlayer without having to get up to my computer and click on a new video everytime one finishes (I already have video from my computer displayed on the TV but it isn’t ideal).
It’s also probably the only thing that would cause me to spend £200 on the device. But it doesn’t have to be limited to the Apple TV – there’s no reason why the XBox 360 shouldn’t support iPlayer streaming or any other third party device that might come out in future.
In fact there’s no reason why a Freeview box manufacturer couldn’t add WiFi and build in an on-demand menu.
Embed from the BBC
The BBC is starting to adopt Flash as their video platform of choice across a number of sites and this is gradually going to increase over the next few months.
Here is a Reverend and the Makers interview from Later with Jools Holland.
Then there’s a music based clip which is pretty cool. Rio Kiley performing Moneymaker.
I can’t find any other embed examples at the moment – there are other services using flash like Nature of Britain and Torchwood and even the iPlayer but they don’t include an embed link.
UPDATE: Here is one from the Electric Proms of Bloc Party.
It isn’t just the BBC though – Channel 4 and E4 have started offering flash clips of shows (not full shows yet though) and with the clips embed links OF EVERYTHING on E4 – although nothing seems to be embeddable on Channel 4.
With the BBC – it’s only a matter of time before everything is flash (at least all video) and you get a link asking if you want to watch in Real or Windows Media as an alternative. Then the audio will follow suit – some audio files are already flash (Glastonbury interviews) – the Radio Player will go the same way soon-ish.
God bless PR
One of the things I have to do in my job is interview people, I’ve spoken to a wide range of people on an even wider range of subjects – from Jersey bands and politicians to CEOs of major companies and big UK bands/artists.
The Jersey bands are all cool, they come in, have a chat and enjoy the limelight – the uk unsigned bands do much the same – but the UK bands that have been signed, once they’ve reached a certain level of success have a barrier around them.
Don’t get me wrong – the band themselves are usually pretty cool, nice bunch of guys that just want to have a chat in the same way as an unsigned band would – but they often have a pitbull of a PR person who will 1) ask you what questions you intend to ask, 2) stand there staring at you to make sure you ask the right questions and 3) rush them away as quickly as possible.
Not all PR people are like this, some just want to help you out but others take the role of minder a little too seriously.
That can be seen in the latest video to come to You Tube from Channel 4 news where a reporter asks a red flag question – using the monopoly word and then has the PR minders step in.
This video clip doesn’t involve a band though – it’s Apple’s Phil Schiller who’s supposed to be asking questions about the iPhone.
As you can see he strayed off the pre-approved list of questions – as any good journalist would to be honest – and suffered the wrath of the PR team because of it.
I hate pre-approved questions but sometimes the only way you can get someone to interview is by giving your question list and sometimes you need to interview that person – I’ll try to find somebody else first, someone that can talk about it who won’t demand a list of what I’m going to ask – but failing that I’ll send them off – then throw the list in the bin and ‘wing it’ on the day.
You then start with the questions you know they won’t mind to get at least something that can be used in a story to give the basic facts – then you start by asking slightly tougher questions as the interview goes on.
So far I’ve never had an interview stopped but have had (no names) interviewees stonewall me or give me so much bollocks in the answer that its unusable. Another trick of bands in pre-recorded interviews is to swear so much when answering a tougher question they know you won’t be able to use their answer.
That didn’t happen to S Club 7 when they were interviewed on the late great Liquid News by Claudia Winkleman. She asked them a question about money (another red flag) and the PR attack dog stepped in to pull them off – this was on a live show.
It’s not uncommon and PR people are just trying to protect their brand – but it is one of the things thats led to so much duming down of the news agenda. The big companies, bands and products are at the centre of 21st Century life but their respective PR teams make asking difficult questions almost impossible – or at least getting an answer.
What will happen to Channel 4 now is that they will find it VERY difficult to get anyone from Apple to talk to them again at least for a long time anyway. But I don’t think thats a bad thing – Channel 4 news is one of the best news services in the UK and they will find other, more creative ways to deal with Apple stories in future.
What annoys me most about all this PR bollocks though is that companies that stonewall difficult questions are also the first to shout, scream and whinge when a pissed off news service reports a ‘negative’ story about them.
Still – at least we have insider blogs to give us the story PR people won’t let us have.
Where are the British shows?
DoctorVee had yet another interesting post, the last non-F1 post about television – specifically the new channels that are popping up and leaving every couple of days.
ABC1 has left and in its place we have DAVE (UKTVG2) and Virgin1 (FTN on steroids). The point Duncan made was that, although its nice to have these new high profile channels – why are they much of the same.
Dave is basically BBC TWO 2 – or what BBC THREE should really be – the best of the best BBC blokes content. It has everything from Top Gear to QI with a bit of Question of Sport (unfortunately) and Who’s line is it anyway.
UKTVG2 was by far one of my most favourite digital channels and Dave is an extension of that – apart from Question of Bollocks the channel is as good if not better than before.
But it IS just a repeats channel – it shows things that have been on before – I personally love this as I enjoy watching my favourite shows again – but it isn’t contributing to the British Media Industry in terms of new productions and commissions.
So Virgin1 – new channel from a major company, the owner of the UKs main Cable Television network and other major TV channels showing US imports (Living, Bravo) and part owner of the UKTV Channels (including Dave).
I had high hopes that a Channel with that calibre and with such a British Brand behind it – might contribute to British production levels – but no.
It’s full of American imports – its a Sky One clone – it’s basically what Sky Two would be with a bigger budget and more of an independent emphasis (not just a throw off channel for Sky One).
Which brings me to Sky One – I don’t expect much from Sky – it’s a multinational company that has always positioned itself as the place for big American shows – but they could do better.
They are making an effort but the UK shows they commission tend to be in the realm of reality television – which isn’t really contributing to the whole – drama/comedy/creative production industry is it.
I don’t expect anything to be done – we have the BBC, ITV and Channel 4 for commissioning and spending on original British drama, comedy and scripted shows – but it doesn’t change the fact that it would be good for Britain if channels broadcasting in Britain spent money on British talent and productions.
Sky have done it before – things like Mile High and Time Gentlemen Please have both come from Sky One originally – why can’t that carry on – why can’t it happen all the time.
If Sky or Virgin spent some of the money they would have given to American production companies on new British productions – say four big shows a season – then that would make the world of difference.
Of all the British networks there seems to be no more than about 8 or 9 shows per season (autumn, winter, summer, spring) that are worth their salt.
We’re a creative nation – we should be doing better than this.