Credit: Royal Shakespeare Company
The launch of this weekend’s Shakespeare Day Live will see the iPlyer opened up to third parties. The event is part of the public service broadcaster’s pledge to be an ‘open BBC’ and become a showcase for the best in British Arts.
It’s also the first step of a plan approved by the BBC Trust last November. Programmes from the British Film Institute, the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, Shakespeare’s Globe and the Royal Opera House will all be made available to audiences for the first time on BBC iPlayer.
The programmes mark the launch of Shakespeare Lives, a six-month online festival marking the 400th anniversary of the death of Shakespeare. It will include David Tennant’s performance as Richard II in the latest production of the play from the Royal Shakespeare Company.
Tony Hall, Director-General of the BBC, said: “This weekend we’re experimenting live with digital formats like never before. Alongside a fantastic line up on radio and television, we’re hosting a digital festival, shaped with partners, to bring their creativity to millions here and the world over. And, for the first time, the BBC will be showcasing the great talent we have in our leading cultural institutions on BBC iPlayer. It’s another step towards an open BBC – something we all believe in.”
The move is also potentially a pre-cursor to the iPlayer becoming a hub for other PSB catch-up TV services, though it seems unlikely that other broadcasts would want to give up their own catch-up portals entirely.
