BBC to launch programming on iPlayer before TV

The BBC has approved plans to launch a raft of programming online before it hits linear TV.

Minutes just released from a meeting of the BBC Trust, the organisation that oversees the UK public broadcaster, reveal that it has greenlit a trial that will see up to 40 hours of BBC content launched on streaming and catch-up service iPlayer and elsewhere online before on the BBC’s linear channels.

Specifically, the Trust’s Strategy and Approvals Committee gave the approval.

The content in question will be across a range of genres, the Truts said, without detailing any specific titles or series.

The trial will run for ‘up to 12 months’.

The broadcaster has launched some content online ahead of TV before including Doctor Who series Pond Life, which was released on the Doctor Who website last year, but this is the widest experiment with online content yet.

The Trust is currently reviewing BBC Online’s activities and a public consultation is underway.