Danny O’Brien, who is always a pleasure to read, was among the first out of the blocks with articulate coverage of the news that the BBC will make available its digital archives for free non-commercial usage and even adaptation, following up with more details from Greg Dyke’s speech and some very interesting links
There are sometimes good reasons to criticise the BBC. As the de facto state broadcaster for the UK, it sometimes lets itself down in times of crisis – all the huff and puff about the Hutton enquiry cannot obscure the fact that the BBC never really challenged the official line on the UK/US aggression against Afghanistan and Iraq, for example. However, more people trust the BBC and are influenced by its debates than the New Labour government in the UK. Also, when compared with cheap satellite and cable TV in the UK, or stations in the USA, Italy or a number of other countries, the quality of the BBC’s output stands head and shoulders above the rest
The news, then, that the BBC is to open up its back catalogue for online access is absolutely breathtaking. This would surely be the most important open source content initiative of all time, and it would hopefully act as a model for other content producers around the world
As Greg Dyke says:
“I believe that we are about to move into a second phase of the digital revolution, a phase which will be more about public than private value; about free, not pay services; about inclusivity, not exclusion.
“In particular, it will be about how public money can be combined with new digital technologies to transform everyone’s lives.” Can’t wait!