BBC To Premiere Award Winning Sitcom Online

The BBC is to become the first British broadcaster to premiere television content via broadband, with its decision to screen the new series of comedy show, The Mighty Boosh, online a week ahead of its transmission marking a true television first.

The Mighty Boosh will be available online from 19 July, a full seven days ahead of its on-air date of 26 July, and will mark the beginning of a number of online premieres planned by the Corporation, which plans to release a number of its original comedy shows to internet audiences over the coming months.

Audiences will be able to watch streamed programmes on demand from bbc.co.uk/bbcthree and catch up if they have missed an episode.

Commenting on the new service, Jana Bennett, director of television at the BBC, said: “The broadband premiere of The Mighty Boosh is a significant step forward in offering our audiences even greater value in a changing television world. It is one of a number of pilots that BBC Television will be undertaking over the next few months, exploiting the opportunities that new technologies offer to look at how programmes might be delivered beyond the traditional linear broadcast.”

The broadband premiere of The Mighty Boosh follows BBC Three’s experimental Best of Three interactive application, which prompted digital satellite viewers to press their red buttons and choose from three of the channel’s top rated programmes, in addition to the live transmission.

Stuart Murphy, Controller of BBC Three, explained the channel’s drive for innovation, stating: “It’s a natural progression for us to make our programmes available on broadband – it’s the next step after the Best of Three multiscreen trial – more and more homes are getting connected as there are now over six million broadband subscribers in the UK. Crucially, it can deliver a television experience whenever people want it.”

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