BBC to close Red Button service

Re : Red Button. I think this "Exploring a phased exit from the broadcast Red Button service and focusing our interactive TV offer on connected televisions and iPlayer" means they will be seeing, like BBC Three going online only, what an online only Red Button service would mean.

At the moment anyone with a Freeview, Freesat or Freesat from Sky set top box can watch Red Button. No need for broadband, no need for a Smart TV, no need for an additional set top box or Smart DVD player etc.

Moving Red Button online only would still have a pretty huge impact currently - so it'll be interesting to see the timescale for any proposed removal of the service, particularly as it is SD-only most of the time. If the streams are continuing on Connected Red Button, then the cost savings will be for the playout area, scheduling and EPG management on top of any coding/mux/carriage costs they can recoup by stopping them I guess?

Red Button also commissions content (Springwatch Extra, F1 Forums, Radio music sessions etc.) - I wonder if that is a real budget cut being planned...

I wonder what the ratings are for such programmes, I imagine in most cases it must be fairly small. I wouldn't be surprised if a 'phased exit' means they'll begin by axing the commissioned content, and just use red button to provide additional feeds for events such as Glastonbury & Wimbledon. Arguably if the 'red button commissions' have a significant audience then it could/should be scheduled as a programme on one of the proper/linear channels.

I saw it suggested elsewhere that the BBC currently have to pay Sky a not inconsiderable amount of money for using the Open TV (is it still called that?) interface and infrastructure.

The idea suggested upthread that such extra events could become iPlayer-exclusive content sounds like a practical one. As I've argued before on here, though, I don't get the point of iPlayer-exclusive content. Surely new content should be shown on a linear channel in place of a repeat?

I would take exception for the F1 forum (and equivalent coverage for other sports - the Six Nations has one too, doesn't it) - that is a key part of the BBC's offering and it costs a negligible amount extra to produce. It allows full coverage to be given to hardcore fans whilst also allowing BBC One to return to its normal schedule after the 'mainstream' post race/match coverage is complete. The BBC are only paying for extra satellite time (they might even be paying for it anyway, as they still need to feed back the highlights show afterwards, and who knows how long that takes to edit) and I guess the pundits/host/production team would be paid marginally more than they would otherwise be for the increased hours. But it allows the BBC to draw the maximum possible out of the rights they have.

The "forums" are crucial for the rugby league coverage which tends to have virtually no post-match coverage with all the interviews and analysis following on the red button. Not quite as bad with the Six Nations but it is a worthy extra.

As for F1 - I suspect the BBC now regret jumping in to save it when ITV dropped it considering the amount they've had to cut and the flack they've got for it, but I really think they should just pull out of it completely. They're not going to please anyone by retaining minimal coverage (e.g. highlights, British GP plus possibly a couple more live) so let the market decide it's future. It's not really in the interests of the BBC or the sports fan for them to cling on to meagre leftovers in an effort to remain the terrestrial broadcaster.

Some of the programmes on the red button do get shown on other channels.

Quite a few of the radio 2 in concerts get shown on BBC 4 for example.

Radio 1 already have a "channel" on the iPlayer and I suspect Radio 2 and 6Music will follow.

I suspect that Radio 1's iPlayer outlet will morph into a BBC Music iPlayer channel. It's interesting that last week's Jazz pop-up radio station wasn't actually 'sponsored' by any of the network channels but was offered by BBC Music. The two previous pop-up incarnations, Eurovision and Country both being Radio 2 offshoots. Doing so would enable Glastonbury, Leeds/Reading etc. coverage to be hosted across channels with an iPlayer base post BBC Three Closure. The Proms videos often lost on Radio 3's web pages would fit comfortably there too. It'd be quite an eclectic mix and drive people to explore.

Well the BBC have been pushing the BBC Music "brand" very heavily since God Only Knows (pun sort of intended), so a semi-permanent channel would seem to be a natural progression.

Similarly, we could well see a BBC Sport "channel" in the same mould.

And possibly BBC News too, with the separate apps phased out.

I assumed that was because one or two of the shows were done in association with Jazz FM.

There was that element but it really was a cross BBC network provisioned service, with no 'base', which was somewhat proved when playout was disrupted and a whole hour programme was lost, requiring dropping one item on the Sunday to fit the programme into the allocated time.

Half of Radio1's iplayer channel isn't music though, it's games and features