Newspaper Publishers Association attacks BBC apps plan
The Newspaper Publishers Association (NPA) has hit out at BBC plans to launch free news and sport apps, accusing it of “trampling over the aspirations of commercial news providers”.
The NPA – which is made up of the Newspaper Society, Publishers Association, The Newspaper Publishers Association and The Periodical Publishers Association – launched its attack after the corporation said it would be launching news and sport apps for the iPhone in time for the FIFA World Cup this summer, before then launching them on the Blackberry and Android phones.
In a statement released today, NPA director David Newell, said: “Not for the first time, the BBC is preparing to muscle into a nascent market and trample over the aspirations of commercial news providers.
“At a time when the BBC is facing unprecedented levels of criticism over its expansion, and when the wider industry is investing in new models, it is extremely disappointing that the Corporation plans to launch services that would throw into serious doubt the commercial sector’s ability to make a return on its investment, and therefore its ability to support quality journalism.
“The impact of the BBC’s existing online presence is well known. However, this is a very different and particular case. The market for iPhone news apps is a unique and narrow commercial space, which means that the potential for market distortion by the BBC is much greater. This is not, as the BBC argues, an extension of its existing online service, but an intrusion into a very tightly defined, separate market.
“The development of apps for a niche market does not sit comfortably with the BBC’s mission to broadcast its content to a wide, general audience. In other words, this is not about reach, and we believe the BBC’s efforts – and the considerable investment – would be better directed elsewhere.
“We strongly urge the BBC Trust to block these damaging plans, which threaten to strangle an important new market for news and information.”