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BBC Planning 'Netflix of the Spoken Word' to Take Radio Content Global (hollywoodreporter.com)
Georg Szalai, reporting for Hollywood Reporter: "The BBC makes the best radio in the world," says director general Tony Hall. British public broadcaster BBC plans to launch a "Netflix of the spoken word" to take its radio content beyond the U.K. Director general Tony Hall in a London speech on Wednesday said that the BBC plans to offer all of its audio content, in addition to its BBC World Service programming to people in foreign markets. He didn't immediately provide further details, including about whether the BBC would charge international users. The BBC is funded via a license fee covered by British taxpayers. "With our world-class content, we could use our current output and the richness of our archive to create a Netflix of the spoken word," the BBC quoted Hall as saying. "The BBC makes the best radio in the world. It is one of our crown jewels, and we have an extraordinary wealth of audio riches at our disposal." He added: "It's one of the things that will help the BBC carry the full weight of Britain's culture and values, knowledge and know-how to the world in the years ahead, and say something really important about modern Britain."
This tech has existed since dialup, and has improved only a little with new codecs and whatnot for niche scenarios.
So what exactly has changed? Licensing. Licensing has changed. The content creators/owners are now willing to use said technologies. Never forget that these limitations are not revolutionary in being overcome by heroes of content administrators. They are old and foul creatures slowly losing the sand between their fingers.
Basically they don't want to compete with the podcast and audiobook anymore. I'd say they were too late, but I know better. Users are just as slow to move as industries (example: landlines are still used a lot).
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All the BBC radio stations, including the excellent BBC Radio 4 Extra, already stream for free everywhere, and you can listen to individual programs as long as they aren't over 2 weeks since they were broadcast. It's very nice.
No, but I have met, numerous times, that guy at the party who loves to interject in every conversation his standing gripe about how much he hates people who don't have TVs.
Drill baby drill - on Mars