lets ignore copyright for a second...

I watched a really cool programme on BBC4 last night - the one about the history of latin music. A great history lesson and some classic scenes from East Harlem back in the 60's. It got me thinking why can't I get more of this stuff when I want it?

The definition of TV is blurring so quickly. Conversations now need to qualified, are we talking about the on demand service, a streaming UGC website, the real time thing coming through the box in your living room or the phone or tablet that are now able to broadcast? I'm not too concerned with the semantics of it all but do think that it's an industry that needs to effectively turn itself on its head and look at new models. The only two truths we know right now is that those that will remain king will be the ones with the most interesting and relevant content, if these viewers can share their experiences easily this will only multiply the good experiences with a content providor.

The BBC within this context is a very interesting beast. It is sitting on an unbelievably big mountain of priceless content that occasionally gets drip fed into the public space (6 music and BBC 4 being good examples). There is one flat cost for all inhabitants of the UK that would want to consume this content.

So in a world where extra online space costs so little to make it almost irrelevant - could the BBC look at new options to monetise it's content? Ignoring copyright laws for a second, could the BBC create tiered memberships allowing users access to different parts of it's huge catalogue of content. Perhaps you're a wildlife enthusiast, how much would you pay per month to access the BBC's entire collection on this subject matter? Being able to stream any program whenever you want. A kind of TV Spotify if you will with more layering...

With a tiered system like this, content could be rented out based on the users needs and interests. The technology is there, the law might not be quite yet, but the BBC suffers enormously from a consumer surplus problem.

There would be no need to get rid of the flat fee at the bottom end, but perhaps the BBC could focus it's distribution of historical content based around people rather than it's stations editors. They'll soon find out what people really like.