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BBC Worldwide inks content deal with MySpace

Indiantelevision.com Team

(4 February 2008 3:00 pm)

MUMBAI: BBC Worldwide, the commercial arm of the BBC and social network MySpace, have launched a partnership to bring new and archived short form BBC content to MySpaceTV.

The announcement marks the first global agreement of this type between MySpaceTV and a major broadcaster.

Under the partnership, BBC video content will be made available online globally via MySpaceTV, the social networking site's popular new video platform.

MySpace users will be able to visit and subscribe to the BBC Worldwide's MySpaceTV video channel in order to view, embed and virally share BBC content across the MySpace community.

Under the deal, current and archived video content from BBC Worldwide programmes will be available on MySpaceTV including some classic moments in TV: Robbie Williams and Russell Crowe being interviewed by Parkinson, Jeremy Clarkson and his team on Top Gear, and some breathtaking clips from Attenborough's Natural History series.

Also available will be some gripping moments from classic series such as Doctor Who, Robin Hood and Torchwood, in addition to some hilarious sketches from The Catherine Tate Show, Red Dwarf and The Mighty Boosh.

BBC Worldwide director (digital media) Simon Danker said, "MySpace is recognised as the largest social networking site, and this partnership continues our strategy of putting BBC content right at the heart of where audiences spend their time and watch video online.

"The breadth of content we bring to this deal means that MySpace users will easily be able to find a favourite clip to put on their profiles and share with their friends, whether that is a Top Gear stunt or something a bit different from The Mighty Boosh.

"With the global nature of the deal, this is a great opportunity to put the best shows from the BBC in front of new audiences."

BBC Worldwide content will be immediately available across MySpaceTV's 27 international territories and nearly 110 million global users.

Localised versions of MySpaceTV are available in seven different languages across the UK, Japan, Australia, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Spain, Mexico, Canada, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Latin America, Switzerland, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland and Austria.

The deal represents a further move by BBC Worldwide, the BBC's commercial arm, to broaden the reach of its content to new channels and outlets, to engage with audiences around the world and to promote content which will be available on Kangaroo in the UK and BBC Worldwide's commercial media player internationally.

MySpace MD (international) Travis Katz said, "With this deal, our users can watch their favourite clips from top shows such as Doctor Who and Top Gear, post them to their profile and share them with other members of the community quickly, easily and legally.

"This is the first global network deal for MySpaceTV and we believe it's the future of collaboration between the web and networks around the globe. The BBC is one of the world's most recognised and trusted television brands with fantastic content.

"Bringing the BBC onto the MySpace network is a sign of how the market has changed and how companies like ours are shaping the future of entertainment."

The announcement comes on the heels of explosive video growth driven by dozens of industry content partnerships and user interface changes.

MySpaceTV is an integrated component of the company's worldwide community and content platform, continuing the evolution of the company's video offering by aggregating the best elements of video and empowering MySpace users to view, create and share videos in new ways throughout the community.