The BBC Trust has published its final conclusions on Delivering Quality First, the euphemistically named strategy document, designed to implement cost saving across the BBC in the wake of the Licence Fee settlement.
Under the plans the Red Button service, put forward as one of the benefits of digital television is to be scaled back, and the News Multiscreen – already withdrawn from DTT to make room for HD services – closed altogether.
Public responses to the proposals varied in line with use of the services.
The Trust agreed with the BBC Executive that Red Button services should concentrate on what it does well, such as digital text and additional coverage of live events, and drop content such as concerts from BBC Radio 2 or live simulcasts of Radio 5 Live phoneins. In doing so the Executive believes it can significantly reduce distribution costs.
The number of video streams available on satellite and cable from nine to one – the BBC described this as “providing a more consistent service”.
However, in the week the BBC outlined multiplatform coverage for its 24 Olympic streams, the Trust said it was awaiting formal proposals on IPTV services for connected TV sets, with access through the BBC Red Button, and further digital curation.
Plans for HD versions of BBC One in the national regions of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, later in 2012 as well as the closure of the domestic BBC HD channel in favour of BBC Two HD have also been confirmed.
