The BBC will need to consult its regulatory Trust if it chooses to widen its content partnership with YouTube. The BBC launched a trailers channel, an ad-supported clips channel aimed at the international market and a non-UK, ad-funded news channel on the video sharing site last month. But, according to minutes of a February meeting, director general Mark Thompson and acting chair Chitra Bharucha assured Trust members the relationship would not be expanded without their consultation. From the minutes: “Members noted that, in the current media landscape, partnerships such as this may become increasingly common and they would want to discuss similar deals.”
That could put the hurdles of a public-value test and a market-disruption test in the BBC’s way before it would be allowed to offer more video via YouTube. The Trust, the independent body which governs the broadcaster, has been active since its inception in January, having already ruled against the corporation’s iPlayer on-demand proposal and ordering the BBC Jam educational site to be shut down. (via Guardian).
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– @ OPA: Interview: BBC