BBC iPlayer to compete with Netflix by changing its 30-day availability window to a whole year

The BBC had earlier this year petitioned Ofcom to allow the changes to happen so as to protect the corporation’s future

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BBC iPlayer will soon allow viewers to watch individual episodes of its content for an entire year, rather than just 30 days, in the corporation’s latest attempt to compete with Netflix.

In a statement by Ofcom, the communications regulator has announced that “the BBC can go ahead with planned changes to BBC iPlayer, subject to certain conditions and guidance”.

It continues: “The BBC intends to change BBC iPlayer from a 30-day catch-up service, to one where programmes are available for 12 months as standard, with some available for longer.”

The statement adds that Ofcom undertook a BBC Competition Assessment before allowing the corporation to go ahead with their plans.

The BBC had requested a change of rules over their content earlier this year, after data revealed that iPlayer, which once had a 40 per cent share of the UK streaming video market five years ago, had all but lost the war against Netflix. Today, iPlayer’s share of the market has slumped to just 15 per cent.

In a statement at the time, the BBC said that they had no expectation of triumphing over Netflix, but that allowing their content to stay on iPlayer for a lengthy period of time would “simply allow the BBC to stop the continued decline we expect to see over the next five years,” adding that lack of change would “threaten the BBC’s very ability to deliver its mission to serve all audiences and provide viewers with value for their licence fee”.

It is no doubt a move inspired by new streaming television service BritBox, which is a joint venture between the BBC and ITV.

An existing BritBox service already exists on a modest scale in America, with half a million subscribers. The British version aims to put UK releases in one place and will potentially act as a rival to Netflix and Amazon Prime.

The BBC and ITV said that BritBox will boast the biggest collection of British content on any streaming service. They added that alongside “old favourites” and recent shows, there will be new commissions produced specifically for BritBox.

Ofcom said that, due to the iPlayer changes, there will probably be “adverse competition impact on potential new UK-focused subscription services, such as BritBox”, but concluded there is ”unlikely to be substantial harm to audiences”.