BBC Canvas Is Great News for the Digital Sector Says Agency Head
BBC Canvas - a partnership between the BBC, ITV, BT, Five, Channel 4 and TalkTalk to develop an Internet Protocol Television (IPT) standard – has finally been given the green light by the BBC Trust.
Tony Foggett, head of Manchester digital marketing agency Code Computerlove, was fortunate enough to spend time with the BBC’s Future Media and Technology department, who was responsible for driving through the project. He believes Canvas is one of the most exciting innovations the TV industry has seen since the arrival of colour and comments on how it will affect the advertising and marketing industry.
“Erik Huggers, director of FMT, called the new IPTV platform a "game changer" and I have no doubt he is right having seen the platform in development, along with vision videos depicting how the system might work.
“The TV platform has historically been held back by the fragmentation of the manufacturers and lack of standardisation this creates. Canvas produces a possible step-change for the industry by establishing a common set of standards both from a development and user experience point of view that will be open to the industry as a whole.
“There are essentially three parts to Canvas; the linear broadcasting of TV and radio channels that we are all used to; access to on-demand catch-up and archive programming services such as iPlayer, Seesaw, itv player etc. and lastly it will have an open and commercial application layer much like the Apple App store for the development of internet based enhanced functionality and content.
“The application layer is the most interesting to me. Project Canvas has learned a lot from Apple about how to launch new platforms. They are essentially replicating the App Store model to introduce Internet applications to the TV. Like Apple, Project Canvas will create the platform as well as the software development tools for anyone to develop for it. As the iPhone shipped with a combination of hardware and built in features for developers to take advantage of, so too will the Canvas platform, thus enabling the magic of contextual applications to open up the possibilities of the platform, and extend the value and experience of the content that is broadcast upon it.
“A key difference between the BBC and Apple is that it is not developing this for itself. The rationale behind the BBC’s involvement in Canvas is that current free-to-air TV platforms of Freeview and Freesat have been unable to evolve and keep pace with technical innovation compared to Sky - which is working on its own (proprietary) closed standards. The BBC feels that without something like Canvas a fragmented market will, and is emerging, which could put internet-connected TV out of the reach of consumers who don't want to subscribe to pay-TV.
“Channel fragmentation, consumer scepticism and the arrival of PVR have already undermined the traditional interruptive advert, the golden goose of the media landscape. Through Canvas the BBC ensures that the free to air broadcasters such as ITV and Channel 4 have the opportunity to develop new revenue opportunities as consumer behaviour and technology adapts.
“It astounded me to hear that the IPA voiced its concerns about the BBC’s involvement and appeared to back Sky’s objection while the project was going through BBC Trust approval. This platform doesn’t just create a lifeline for the media owners it opens a world of possibilities for brands and creative organisations like ours to finally, truly integrate experiences and data across the digital screens in consumers lives.
“Beyond the throw away 30 second advert, brands will be able to engage more deeply with the consumer in the way they have online over the last decade and would do on television if the Red Button experience wasn’t so poor. As a push and pull medium IPTV will have the level of real-time accountability that has attracted marketers to digital, as well as ensuring their investment has lasting value beyond the broadcast.
“I’ve often been left a gasp at the head in the sand attitude of some within the TV industry towards digital and the change in media consumption and expectation it has brought. Until now the restrictions of the platform have cocooned this world while other platforms have innovated. Canvas not only turns this upside down with video on demand for the masses, it blows the roof off with the introduction of the application layer, in the words of Erik Huggers, Canvas ‘democratises the living room’. With the right skills and understanding the door is open for those advertising and marketing organisations with digital at their core to walk in and turn the telly on.”
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