Fergie's Tech Blog

BBC 'Web Empire' at Public Expense?

Via Wired News.

News International, Rupert Murdoch's media conglomerate, is accusing the British Broadcasting Corp. of using taxpayers' money to build a "digital empire" that would compete with commercial rivals.

The BBC, which receives about 3 billion pounds ($5.3 billion) a year in public funding, has announced plans to relaunch its website to incorporate more user-generated content such as blogs and video, as well as developing new broadband portals in areas including sports, music, health and science.

James MacManus, an executive director of Murdoch's News International company, accused the state-funded BBC of "blatantly commercial ambitions" and seeking "to create a digital empire."

"Our view is that can only damage the development of commercial digital media," MacManus said.

posted by Fergie @ 4/26/2006 10:05:00 AM