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Core public services ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ News and ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Sport to be repurposed for a wide range of smartphones, including iPhone, Blackberry and Android mobiles

The ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ today announced that it is to offer a new range of applications that will deliver ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Online services to a range of mobile devices.

Licence fee payers have already been able to access the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ website on mobile phones for eight years and today's announcement means that public service content can be better enjoyed on the move.

At a keynote speech at Mobile World Congress, ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Director of Future Media & Technology Erik Huggers said that the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ is planning to release mobile applications for ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ News and ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Sport on a wide range of smartphones, starting with a ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ News application for iPhone in April 2010.

The app will focus on providing quick access to the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳'s existing journalistic content, which will be repurposed for the devices.

The ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ is also considering ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ iPlayer applications for release later in the year.

All applications will be available free of charge.

The rapid growth in the availability of internet-connected mobile phone and particularly smartphones in 2009 has been matched by a rise in the number of applications that deliver content and services.

With smartphone usage expected to increase in 2010, audiences now expect to be able to access ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ content and services on the move with a user-experience that's simple, personal and optimised for the device.

Erik Huggers said: "It's been 12 years since the launch of ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Online, but as media converges and technology accelerates, licence fee payers are increasingly using sophisticated handheld devices to access information. They tell us that they want to access the digital services that they have paid for at a time and place that suits them.

"Today's announcement means that we are catching up with our audiences, and the same content that we broadcast on television and make available online can now be better enjoyed on the move.

"We are putting technology to work to create greater public value."

³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ News – Breaking news and broadcast content on the move

The first app to launch will be ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ News, which will offer our audience the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳'s breaking news and latest stories.

It will provide the same distinctive content already available on the website, such as features and analysis, reports from ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ correspondents around the world and a wide range of live and on-demand audio and video content.

The news application, which will be available in early April, will give users flexibility in how they personalise their news experience. More features will be added throughout the year.

The news app will initially be available on Apple (iPhone and iPod Touch) devices.

³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ News applications will follow on RIM (Blackberry) and Google (Android) operating systems later in the year.

The ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ will also work with other providers to enable these applications on their mobile devices.

³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Sport – Live sport experience

A ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Sport application will be available in The App Store for iPhone and iPod touch in time for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. The live match experience will be at the heart of the application.

For the World Cup, football fans will be able to access live match video, whenever it's being broadcast on TV by the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳, and on-demand clips of every goal scored in the tournament.

Users will also be able to enjoy more of the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳'s other unique content on mobile, such as ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Radio 5 Live, authored live text commentaries from ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ presenters and blogs.

Later in the year, the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ will create even more value from its sports rights, by adding Formula 1 and coverage of other sports.

Applications will follow on RIM (Blackberry) and Google (Android) operating systems later in the year.

Notes to Editors

A range of unauthorised ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ applications are already available in various application stores. These new official applications are intended to give licence payers an authorised alternative.

³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ News Application

Expected release date: April 2010 (UK and Rest of World).

Both the UK and global applications will be available free of charge (though network data charges may apply). In line with other international ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Worldwide services, the global version created and released by ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Worldwide (availability dependent on market aspirations) will be supported by advertising.

Key features:

• Breaking news, updated throughout the day
• Personalisation, the ability to create a personal news experience
• User-generated content, the ability to send comments and pictures direct to the newsroom
• Blogs, analysis and commentary with the distinct ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ voice
• Video and audio content from the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ News channel and other ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ sources

³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Sport Application

Expected release date: May 2010 (UK and Rest of World).

The first version will focus on World Cup 2010, but will be updated throughout the year to support major sports, such as the Formula 1 season and the 2010/2011 English football season.

Both the UK and global applications will be available free of charge, though data charges may apply. The global version will be released separately by ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Worldwide and, in line with other international ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Worldwide services, will feature advertising.

Key features:

• Live text commentary with distinct ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ voice
• Listen live to Radio 5 Live commentary
• Receive up-to-the-minute scores and league information
• Participation: integration with 606, and the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ sport blogs
• User-generated content, submission of comments via SMS
• Video and audio content: integration with Radio 5 Live, plus video clips (subject to rights availability)
• Personalisation: selection of your teams and clubs

³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ iPlayer Application

³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ iPlayer has been a huge success in the UK since its launch in December 2007 and is now averaging more than 20 million requests for TV and radio programmes per week across all platforms.

The web-based ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ iPlayer has already been optimised for a wide range of smartphones (accessed through a mobile browser). A ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ iPlayer mobile application has also been available in Nokia's Ovi app store since Q3 2009.

A is available on the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ iPlayer website.

The ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ plans to make further ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ iPlayer applications available on a wide range of smartphones offering enhanced features – above and beyond the web-based variants. These would be available to UK audiences only.

Key features:

• Live TV and radio
• Improved user experience: enhanced interface using the latest app gestures and transitions
• New personalisation features

SM