What’s the future of television? Yes, delivering tv via the Internet makes a difference. Like, uhm, the difference between cable, satellite and terrestrial tv – if you just think about the web as just another distribution channel. But te fun part starts, if you take networking more literally. The BBC, mother of all tv networks, is now at the forefront again. And theyre not just opening their archives. The Beeb is sharing some data and releasing a Web API.
Want to build your own Yahoo!BBCwidget? An AJAX-EPG? The BBC Application Programming Interface delivers all the data you need. Program information, schedules, genre listings, you name it. Have just another look at the AJAX-EPG. Built using the BBC Web API and the BBC Multicast Trial, explains the header. Yes the Beeb is heavily into R&D. Because, as Terry Heaton explains, the killer app isn’t “monkey see, monkey do”.
So what, you may say? It’s just marketing material they’re offering here. But that’s what you think. Some broadcasters, like RTL Group, even stopped transmitting DVB-SI infos (which means: the EPG in most set top box won’t get any information (except the most basic like title, start and end time). Their idea: selling the data. OK. But with all due respect: That’s not the future of anything. If you want to monetize your meta data, you either aggregate everything what’s out there – or give them away. Because most likely, you lose more by not binding your audience than via peddling your meta data in 200 EUR chunks.
Via Micro Persuasion
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