It wasn't too long ago when web commentators were criticizing the BBC iPlayer, which uses the same distribution engine as Open Media Network, developed by former Kontiki chairman Mike Homer and recently gifted to U.S. public broadcasting. Now it seems that iPlayer is so successful that it's causing ISPs some traffic problems. According to informitv.com:
... In January, more than 2.2 million people used the BBC iPlayer, streaming or downloading around 11 million programmes, reaching up to half a million shows in a single day. In addition, there were nearly 16 million radio downloads in the same month. ΒΆ That represents a significant increase in the 5.6 million hours of audio and video that was streamed by the BBC in the whole of 2006-2007. ...
Kudos to the Beeb. With a different production structure and internecine rivalries, it's hard to see how American public media will ever collaborate enough to duplicate the UK's success for national programming, but I'm optimistic about its success at the local station level if we're willing to develop content partnerships with community non-profits, schools and universities, government agencies, etc. --Dennis
Dennis, I'm definitely sensing a sea change in attitudes in the pubmedia world that integration and sharing amongst the hundreds of players, especially in the emerging online space, may not be possible. Is that something you'd feel comfortable writing about?
Do we have a future together online, or will we each dig in locally, eschewing a broader alliance or shared development?
Posted by: John Proffitt | Friday, 29 February 2008 at 13:59