The BBC has announced plans to ax some of its linear channels as it looks to make further savings following the decision to freeze the license fee.

As part of its plans, the broadcaster plans to stop broadcasting smaller linear channels, such as CBBC and BBC Four, “after the next few years”.

It also intends to create a single, 24-hour TV news channel serving UK and international audiences, called BBC News, which it says will offer greater amounts of shared content, but “maintain the ability to offer separate broadcasts depending on what’s happening at home and abroad”.

The corporation has also set out an ambition to reach 75 per cent of BBC viewers through iPlayer each week; and intends to offer viewers new on-demand content and formats for news and current affairs. It will ask Ofcom to remove regulatory restrictions on iPlayer to expand boxsets and archive content.

In a speech to BBC staff, director general Tim Davie said: “This is our moment to build a digital-first BBC. Something genuinely new, a Reithian organization for the digital age, a positive force for the UK and the world.

“Driven by the desire to make life and society better for our license fee payers and customers in every corner of the UK and beyond,” added Davie. “They want us to keep the BBC relevant and fight for something that in 2022 is more important than ever.

“To do that we need to evolve faster and embrace the huge shifts in the market around us.”

Work will start immediately, with further details to be announced in the coming months, including consultations with staff.

Davie added: “I believe in a public service BBC for all, properly funded, relevant for everyone, universally available, and growing in the on-demand age. This plan sets us on that journey.”

This article originally appeared on sister brand TVBEurope.

The Digital Production Partnership (DPP), the media industry’s international business network, has released AMWA AS-11 X1 - MXF Programme Contribution DPP UHD, a new technical specification for broadcasters delivering UHD programming to BBC’s iPlayer platform starting in 2019.

The new standard is based on earlier standard—AMWA AS-11 UK DPP v1.1—which the DPP worked with the Advanced Media Workflow Association (AMWA)—to develop for air-ready masters for all major UK broadcasters. The new update—AMWA AS-11 X1—brings UHD delivery to the AMWA AS-11 family of air-ready master formats. It has been written with the DPP’s international membership in mind and is designed for global implementation.

“The publication of AS-11 X1 is a significant moment for the industry, showing that the DPP and its partners continue to be responsive to the industry’s developing needs”, says Rowan de Pomerai, DPP Head of Delivery and Growth. “UHD is ready to become mainstream and its deployment is often being driven by online and OTT platforms first. We’ve worked closely with our Members to ensure that our new specification meets these needs, as well as those of linear broadcast.”

[Read: New Tech Spec For Broadcast, Online To Power Global Content Exchange Of Media]

The AMWA AS-11 family of specifications define constrained media file formats for the delivery of finished media assets to a broadcaster or publisher. In order to facilitate automated workflows, AS-11 specifications have been developed as block based, machine readable specifications.

“We are delighted to continue our close working relationship with the DPP, providing specialist expertise on the use of technology standards to complement the DPP’s understanding of the business problem.” says Brad Gilmer, Executive Director of the AMWA. “It is very rewarding to see the early work on AS-11 for the UK being used as a basis for broader adoption across the industry.”

AMWA work closely with the DPP Compliance Lab as the sole body to run a compliance testing program for all AMWA AS-11 specifications. The DPP Lab will accept products for AS-11 X1 conformance testing from early November this year.

Products that pass the test program are eligible to apply for a compliance certificate from AMWA, which will provide buyers and sellers with the confidence that DPP tested tools are technically compliant and interoperable.

AMWA AS-11 X1 - MXF Programme Contribution DPP UHD specification is first targeted at UHD deliveries to the BBC iPlayer in 2019. The DPP and its partners, including AMWA and the North American Broadcasters Association (NABA), continue to extend the AS-11 family. The next additions to the family will be AMWA AS-11 X8 and X9, which will provide HD delivery formats for the North American market.

LONDON — During the upcoming Wimbledon 2018 Championships — taking place from July 2–15 at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London — the BBC plans to stream select tennis matches in 4K resolution picture quality with high dynamic range (HDR) color. The live and on-demand 4K/HDR streams will be accessible to most U.K. viewers watching the matches via the BBC’s iPlayer streaming service.

When 4K, with four times the pixel count of 1080/60p video, is combined with HDR color space — where millions more colors can be displayed — the results are a brighter, sharper image. Viewers can better discern whether a shot was in or out or recognize famous people in the crowd. And HDR-capable displays handle contrast better, revealing more detail in late-day shadows, while preventing exposure problems in sunlit areas.

As was the case with its recent World Cup Games technology trial, the BBC intends to limit the 4K/HDR service — to roughly the first tens of thousands of people who access the streams — to better manage the bigger bandwidth demands.

“The World Cup streams have suffered a few technical teething problems — stuttering and buffering with some devices,” said John Archer, a TV reviewer for Forbes and Techradar. “[There have also been] a few issues with adapting effectively to broadband speeds that are close to the BBC’ 40 Mbps and 20 Mbps streaming quality ‘tiers.’ When the streams have worked well, though, the results have been spectacular.”

According to a spokesman for the BBC, “The trial has given us valuable feedback allowing us to improve our systems.” And reportedly, few, if any, people found themselves blocked from accessing the World Cup games in 4K.

[Read here about how the BBC used IBM Watson for real-time data analytics of match highlights during last year’s Wimbledon]

TV Reviewer Archer added, “Detail and sharpness have been hugely superior to the HD broadcast streams, making the action feel more immediate and much less tiring to watch. The use of HDR has been quite subtle by comparison but has still undoubtedly enhanced the sense of 'being there' that's so important when you're watching sport.”

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LONDON — The BBC has announced that it will cover the 2018 World Cup in Ultra HD and virtual reality as BCC Sports puts the new technology to the test.

All 33 matches covered by BBC will be available at no charge to viewers on the BBC Sport VR 2018 World Cup app. Those with VR headsets can immerse themselves into a stadium experience in which they feel as if they are seated in a hospitality box, BBC said.

[Read: FIFA to Provide Teams With In-Match Video During World Cup]

BBC also plans to present 29 matches on BBC One in Ultra HD to those with a high-speed internet connection. The UHD coverage will be made available on a first-come, first-served basis, it said. Tens of thousands of fans also will be able to access an HD stream via the BBC iPlayer home screen as soon as coverage begins.

Matthew Postgate, BBC chief technology and product officer, said the UHD and VR trials will give viewers a taste of what is to come in television.

More information is available on the BBC website.

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