BBC: tablet is becoming second TV in the home

BBC - four screens, four opportunities
BBC - four screens, four opportunities

The BBC's new director of future media, Ralph Rivera, has suggested that the tablet is becoming a second PC in the home, and that the broadcast giant's duty is to deliver content on every screen possible.

Speaking at a BBC Online press briefing, with TechRadar in attendance, Rivera brought up what Jobs has termed a 'post-PC era'.

"We are seeing this post-PC era more and more now and it is an opportunity to deliver our experience on whichever piece of glass [the consumer] chooses," he said.

"The iPlayer is an excellent example of being on four screens, it is already on 200 devices.The number of streams shows that the computer is the majority, but the growth is in the device segment.

"The tablet is becoming a second television in the home."

Big rise

The statistics Rivera showed off suggested that there has been a 2500 per cent rise in tablet use, obviously pushed by the growth of that market segment, but also a 67 per cent rise in the number of views on mobile phones.

BBC samsung smart tv app

However, Rivera was keen to point tout that the BBC's main emphasis will always be the content, and not how it is consumed.

"Editorial is at the core of this, it is the core, added Rivera.

"That doesn't go contrary if in identify to what you are specifically looking for suggesting other stories that might be of interest to you because they are of interest to your friends.

"It doesn't go against the notion that there are the most popular things in addition to what you're looking at.

"I don't want to lose the serendipity of editorial. I like to open up newspaper and see things that I wouldn't see if I was specifically looking."

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.