The British Broadcasting Corp. is podcasting a nightly national TV program hours ahead of its broadcast in the UK.
The idea to be among the first broadcasters to release shows ahead of live broadcast came to Peter Barron, editor of Newsnight, while he was writing his daily editor's blog and commuting on a bus, according to the Guardian Unlimited. "We might reach a whole new audience, including international viewers," Barron said.
The BBC said files of Newsnight are quite popular, garnering as many as 1 million download requests for a show.
The week-long trial includes Webcasts of pre-produced parts of the show. Last night's segment was about the impact the mobile phone is having in Africa. Other shows this week will include an analysis of the Internet in China and a report by business correspondent Paul Mason from the Consumer Electronics Show.
A viewer praised the Beeb’s podcast effort in a comment on the Guardian site writing, "I probably watch Newsnight online more often than on my TV these days (probably in the bath)."
Skeptics might say that the BBC’s decision to put its shows on the web before they’re on the air threatens to reduce broadcast viewing. Thankfully, that cliché is being discredited by media companies daily.
CBS says Webcasts of its TV shows are boosting on-air viewing. Disney has sold millions of dollars worth of “reruns” through iTunes. Many cable companies are spending money to make sure their clips and shows are recycled online. Newspapers like the Washington Post, The New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal are even adjusting their editorial efforts to break news online and use the print product for analysis and background. Putting TV content online, ahead of broadcast makes sense. Especially if the podcast version can promote the later TV broadcast by promising another interview or sidelight on the story.
Journalists have gotten used to talking about the concept of news now being 24/7 … now it’s becoming a reality for viewers, readers, and listeners.
Disclaimer: I own shares of CBS, Apple, Walt Disney, and Dow Jones.