BBC WW hopes iPlayer will rival iTunes

BBC Worldwide has asked UK broadcasters to add their content to its commercial iPlayer, in order to compete with iTunes for video downloads.

BBC Worldwide chief executive John Smith said that while Channel 4, ITV and BSkyB all have their own online platforms, the TV industry was in danger of making the same mistakes as the music companies, which allowed Apple to dominate the digital download market with iTunes.

Speaking at the Financial Times digital media conference, Smith said: "Imagine some third party controlling the positions and pricing of all our content on the web so we might get, say, 50% of £1.99 whether it's Planet Earth that costs millions to produce or daytime cookery shows that cost thousands."

He added that he hoped the iPlayer would be "like Freeview in creating a new digital platform for broadcasters, giving them a chance to control their own destiny, but like BSkyB in its opportunities for monetisation. We would be delighted if other major UK broadcasters wanted to join us and make it a pan-UK service."