Giving old news the blues – there’s an app for that
Following hot on the heels of the BBC news website redesign, but with considerably less fanfare, the BBC has launched their BBC News iPhone app. Already at the top of the free app chart, the launch was delayed in March after protests from media organisations that a BBC app would undermine their attempts to gain a foothold in that market.
A review from the BBC Trust found that the apps were an extension of the BBC’s existing services and therefore did not require any further scrutiny, however their impact would be reviewed in six months.
In today’s climate you can understand both perspectives – newspaper companies are using paywalls and smartphone subscriptions to bolster falling advertising revenue. Ministers have warned that the BBC license fee may be reviewed, so they need be seen to offer increasing value. And the media landscape has long since changed from the BBC only offering a few TV and radio channels.
All things aside the BBC News iPhone app is very good. To stand out in times like these you need to raise the bar, which this app certainly does. We live in an age of instant communications through services like Twitter, people want to know what is happening around the world – now. How will the competitors react to this breaking news?
