A good article (and, usefully, a re’print’ from the less accessible media section) about the Beeb and it’s inordinate delays and balls-ups with the iPlayer, which underlines an increasing lack of leadership in the digital space.
God, I hope this doesn’t pan out – the beeb’s technology depts. used to have some very cool people working for it – I always put their departures down as natural attrition…maybe they felt the frustrations outlined in the article.
It pisses me off, if this stuff is true – clearly Greg Dyke should have remained (one of the things I really am annoyed with the Labour political machine about, of course, Iraq war aside, and, oh, don’t get me started), and alignments with ‘big co’s’ is not the right course (build this stuff out yourself, control and maintain software independence).
What really seems to be causing the problem is this paralysis of innovation caused by policing through the BBC ‘Trust’ – it sounds an abominable forum to develop/support innovative, risky ideas (the very thing the public funding of the BBC should be supporting) – I love the BBC, and all that it offers, and it;s promise of future greatness in the medium of my choice, IP delivered content…
I will keep my British fingers crossed…