BBC Store opens its digital doors to fans

“What we’re adding is the ability to enjoy BBC programmes after the 30 days are up – by buying them to keep and watch whenever, wherever you like”.

Once a viewer has bought a programme they will be able to access it from a “My Programmes” section of the BBC Store site, where they will be able to stream it or download to view offline.

Bal Samra, the commercial director for the BBC, commented, “BBC Store will make more of the treasure trove of BBC programs available than ever before”. For now at least, only those with a UK-registered credit or debit card will be able to use the service.

We asked the BBC about the ways in which issues such as music rights are likely to affect the availability of programmes in a spread between the Store, iTunes and third-party services to which it provides licences, such as Amazon and Netflix, but have received no answer as yet.

The Store will offer new programmes that have recently been on BBC TV or on the iPlayer, popular shows from past years and previously unavailable content from the archive. So be sure to check out the new BBC Store (linked below). And the collection will continue to build as more programmes are added each day from BBC iPlayer and the BBC Television Archive.

“We want BBC Store to do for digital ownership what BBC iPlayer did for catch up”, says Marcus Arthur, MD for BBC Worldwide and ANZ.

Prices vary from programme-to-programme, and users are able to purchase episodes, series and collections.

Morecambe & Wise and Dad’s Army are among the titles being released on the new BBC Store, having not been available to download before.

There’ll be new exclusive content for Top Gear fans including Top Gear: The Races in which Matt LeBlanc guides viewers through the most memorable moments from the show’s racing archive and an exclusive first chance to own Top Gear: Greatest Hits, a best of collection from the world’s most-watched factual entertainment show.

Serial shows like Eastenders and Holby City will be available to buy immediately after broadcast, while a few such as plays like Alice, Schmoedipus, A Beast With Two Backs, Traitor, Follow The Yellow Brick Road and Doubledare by Dennis Potter, and The Frost Interviews, will be available to buy for the first time.

Being digital, the costs are cheaper than buying physical copies, with single episodes starting from £1.89 and a six-episode series costing around £7.99, with content costing a little more for HD, but early adopters get a juicy 25% off their first purchase.