Sky in talks with BBC over on-demand programmes

Eastender on demand coming to your Sky box?
Eastender on demand coming to your Sky box?

Sky viewers could well be getting BBC content on demand, with the satellite giant confirming that they are in dialogue with the corporation.

Although there remain problems with an iPlayer experience on the Sky platform, there is a desire on both parties to see some of the UK's most popular television programming made available.

The BBC's iPlayer team maintains that it is a service provider rather than a content supplier, with no remit on syndication yet signed off by the BBC Trust.

In earnest

But talks are ongoing, and TechRadar understands that this is more than a token gesture from both parties.

"We continue to look to expand the VoD content available through Anytime+ and are in dialogue with the BBC about how they could best deliver on demand content through Sky," a Sky spokesman told PaidContent.

"Clearly, they are keen to reach the millions of viewers they have in Sky homes, and we're keen to expand the content available to our customers, and so we continue to discuss a potential way forward."

Sky is keen to offer programming through its own user interface, rather than using the iPlayer look and feel.

That there is a dialogue between the BBC and Sky is not a surprise, but the optimism that a solution could be found is certainly encouraging.

Patrick Goss

Patrick Goss is the ex-Editor in Chief of TechRadar. Patrick was a passionate and experienced journalist, and he has been lucky enough to work on some of the finest online properties on the planet, building audiences everywhere and establishing himself at the forefront of digital content.  After a long stint as the boss at TechRadar, Patrick has now moved on to a role with Apple, where he is the Managing Editor for the App Store in the UK.