My Microsoft Life » BBC Teams Up With Microsoft For Much Improved iPlayer

BBC Teams Up With Microsoft For Much Improved iPlayer

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26/05/2010

BBC, iPlayer, Messenger2, UK, Windows Live

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Dynagen

The BBC have unveiled a major update to the BBC iPlayer, their online distribution service for both TV and Radio programs, in which they have made the beta service much more social linking to services such as Facebook and Twitter.

The current social network integrations.

However later in the summer it will be possible for users to sign in to the social aspect of the iPlayer using Windows Live Messenger which will also link a user’s contacts up with their “friends” on their BBC ID and allow chatting whilst watching a program.

A partnership with Microsoft allows Windows Live Messenger users to log in to their messaging service through BBC iPlayer, enabling them to invite other contacts to watch programmes at the same time and chat live. This is an experimental feature, which will be available in beta later in the Summer; if it proves successful, the BBC plans to extend it to other instant messaging services.

I expect this is part of Messenger Connect, the new service from Microsoft aiming to bring Messenger to the entire web.

I have asked Microsoft for information about this and I plan to write a full review on a new site which is coming soon.

Edit: The BBC say that the features of Windows Live Messenger integration within iPlayer are:

Log in to Windows Live Messenger through BBC iPlayer
Forward links to others online: watch on-demand at the same time
Comment live on programmes as they air

Edit 2: The BBC have just published a blog post about the new features of the improved iPlayer with new images of the Messenger integration.

When watching an iPlayer program whilst signed in to Messenger on the site you can sync what you are watching with other people and watch the same program at the same time with them, allowing you to chat about it. You can also see who else is online on iPlayer but who are watching different programs.

It will also be possible to “shout” to all one’s friends on Messenger who are also signed in on iPlayer about the program one is currently watching.

The Messenger integration can be accessed easily through the “Get Started” button seen on all TV play back pages.

These features all sound great and I can’t wait to start using them, it should be rolled out to the beta version of iPlayer over the next few weeks.

Windows Live Tags: Windows Live, Messenger, BBC, iPlayer, UK

http://jamiethomson.spaces.live.com/Blog/cns!550F681DAD532637!11736.entry Jamie Thomson

Pretty cool, would be even better if I could login to iPlayer using my Windows Live ID.

P.S. Messenger Connect isn’t really a new service – its a rebranded version of an old one with some bells and whistles (albeit cool ones) added. Expect much much more Messenger Connect very soon.
Ian

I dont know if you saw a pdc demo a few years ago where the Beeb showed off a live mesh synced version of iplayer, here is an article describing that- perhaps we will have a version for wp7 that is synced across the two screens.

http://www.marcmywords.org/post/BBC-iPlayer-in-the-Mesh.aspx
http://mymicrosoftlife.com Gilly

That would be great but it doesn’t yet appear that the BBC have implemented Silverlight streaming for iPlayer so its unlikely they will be providing a Mesh like sync capability. Maybe they have a few more things to come yet.
http://jamiethomson.spaces.live.com/Blog/cns!550F681DAD532637!11736.entry Jamie Thomson

“it doesn’t yet appear that the BBC have implemented Silverlight streaming for iPlayer so its unlikely they will be providing a Mesh like sync capability”

Huh?
Mesh as demo’d in that PDC keynote is sod all to do with Silverlight. What I mean by that is the two are complimentary but are not dependant on one another. The Mesh-like features can be implemented without Silverlight.

Also note that its not going to be branded Mesh any more, it’ll be Messenger Connect (see my earlier comment about bells and whistles – connecting the dots yet?)
http://mymicrosoftlife.com Gilly

I had assumed that as Silverlight hadn’t been used then the syncing compabilities of Mesh also hadn’t been implemented.

Consider the dots well and truely connected ;) I take it that aspects of that PDC demo will be coming to the iPlayer then.
http://jamiethomson.spaces.live.com/Blog/cns!550F681DAD532637!11736.entry Jamie Thomson

Nah, the sync capabilities of Mesh are a platform all of their own. Silverlight is a presentation platform, Mesh (as was) is a data platform.

I suspect that a lot of what was in the PDC demo won’t be coming to iPlayer. The focus of Mesh (now rolled into Messenger Connect) seems to have shifted – more should be revealed next month with the release of Windows Live wave 4. One thing I’m sure about tho – the “Mesh” brand will disappear.
http://mymicrosoftlife.com/2010/05/26/messenger-connect-putting-the-pieces-together/ Messenger Connect, Putting The Pieces Together « My Microsoft Life

[...] my post about the new Windows Live Messenger features of the iPlayer I was reminded about a demo that Microsoft and the BBC put together at PDC 2008 in which Live Mesh [...]
http://mymicrosoftlife.com/2011/02/17/iplayer-partnering-up-with-other-vod-venders/ My Microsoft Life » iPlayer partnering up with other VoD venders

[...] seems to continue a long run of the BBC partnering with Microsoft for iPlayer related features (in the summer WL Messenger was announced to be coming to the iPlayer, however we are still [...]
http://mymicrosoftlife.com/2010/06/17/more-information-about-messenger-connect-coming-soon/ My Microsoft Life » More Information About Messenger Connect Coming Soon

[...] I’m also interested to see which companies Microsoft is working with for Messenger Connect, the BBC looks to be one of their partners. Windows Live Tags: Windows Live, Messenger Connect Tags: Messenger Connect, Windows [...]
http://www.facebook.com/hera.by.jeen Hera Jeen

Hello, is the iplayer connecting to the window live messenger not available anymore?
Anonymous

Sadly this feature never materialised and doesn’t look like it will be appearing on the iPlayer.
http://www.facebook.com/hera.by.jeen Hera Jeen

So you means it still haven’t launch yet? I was wondering as I found this news everywhere but I can’t get this feature in the BBC iplayer. I thought that was something wrong with my own pc system.

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