| Rose Major, on 24-07-2008 |
 Australia’s public service broadcaster the ABC has followed the lead of its UK counterpart and introduced a free internet TV service, ABC iView, for Australian eyes only.
But unlike the BBC’s iPlayer, ABC iView is a streamed video service
with its own in-built video player, so users will not need to download
additional software.
As well as ABC and other domestically-produced programmes, there will
also be international hits produced by organisations such as the BBC
that appear on ABC TV in Australia. The ABC has been at the head of the pack in terms of Australian broadcasters' internet strategies, the first to introduce vodcasts and now the first to introduce internet TV, other than news bulletins being streamed by commercial networks' joint ventures Yahoo!7 and Ninemsn.
On ABC iView, users either watch their choice of programmes by selecting individual
programmes and adding them to a playlist, or watch one of five channels
the ABC has put together. These are ABC CatchUp, which showcases that
week’s programmes on the broadcaster’s two channels; ABC News; ABC
Kazam! a childrens’ “fantasy channel”; factual service ABC Docs; and
culture channel ABC Arts. A sixth channel, ABC Shop, previews
programmes which can be rented or purchased as downloads from ABC Shop
Downloads. More channels are “in the pipeline” according to the ABC’s
director of television Kim Dalton.
Dalton added: “ABC TV is committed to offering diverse and engaging
television to Australian audiences. With a particular emphasis and
focus on Australian content. And as Australians spend more time on line
and increasingly get some of their entertainment and information via
broadband we want the ABC to be there with Australian made programs and
the best of our overseas content.”
The technology has been developed in-house by tech wing ABC Innovation
and provides full-screen high-resolution video, although users must
have a high-speed broadband connection such as ADSL+2.
ABC launched its vodcast service in July 2006 and in 2007, almost 18
million vodcasts were downloaded from over 20 programmes. So far in
2008, over 55 programmes have had episodes or segments viewable online
either through download or streamed.
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