BBC's Blog, page 38
July 6, 2012
Further Ahead: Ten Day Forecasts on BBC Weather
BBC Weather forecast page for Birmingham showing the 'Further ahead' button
Just over two weeks ago I posted a blog about the major upgrade we made to the BBC Weather website, introducing new hourly forecasts for UK locations and three hourly forecasts for International locations.
Yesterday we introduced extended forecasts, providing ten day forecasts for all our locations.
When you select a forecast location on BBC Weather you will see the forecast for today and the next four days in the tabs across the top of the page. Above the 'Find a Forecast' box you will now see a 'Further ahead' button which will take you to the following 5 days forecasts (i.e. into next week).
You can go back to the first five days by clicking the same button which now says 'First five days'.
After selecting the ‘Further Ahead’ button you see the five day forecast into the following week. The ‘First five days’ button will take you back to the previous week
You will also notice that the forecast data granularity decreases over time. In the UK we have hourly data for the first two days, which then decreases to three hourly forecasts for the next three days, and then day/night forecasts for the final five days of the 10 day forecast.
The day/night forecasts are shown as ranges – for the day’s high temperatures and night’s low temperatures.
You may also notice that the further ahead the forecast, for example days nine and ten, the ranges can be quite wide and day/night temperatures may even overlap as shown in the example above.
Whilst this may seem quite strange it is just a reflection of the confidence levels of the forecast that far into the future.
The nearer the forecast we can provide more granular and confident predictions, but further ahead the uncertainly increases. We hope that despite the uncertainty of the further ahead forecasts that you still find them valuable and helpful. I look forward to your feedback and comments.
Jo Wickremasinghe is the Head of Product for BBC Weather in BBC Future Media
July 5, 2012
Connected Studio 4: Weather and Travel Build Studio
The teams finished the event with a ten-minute demo of their work
Last week, BBC Connected Studio ventured off site again, this time to MozSpace in central London for the second Build Studio, with the focus on the Weather and Travel Product.
From the 25 concepts that were pitched at the Creative Studio in Google Campus on June 12, six teams were selected to attend.
After my short introduction, and a briefing for each team from my colleagues in Weather, the teams began two intense days developing their proof of concept.
Some of the six teams were combinations of selected ideas from the Creative Studio day, as the other judges and I had identified overlapping but complementary themes. As a result, many members were working together for the first time, and we had teams that mixed staff from across the BBC with different companies collaborating on merged ideas.
The Weather and Travel team had created an environment for rapid prototyping and development, with access to a range of APIs and data sets so the six teams could build quickly on top of the BBC Weather site - thanks to Jeremy and his team (plus Joel from R&D who provided vital sys admin support) for going above and beyond to make that possible whilst also launching new services.
So let’s get to what you are all interested in; the pitches.
At the end of the second day, they presented the working prototypes or mock-ups they had created to the judges. The teams, with a brief idea of their concepts, were:
383 & BBC – Personalised info that is all in one place and is relevant to you – a forecast for your life.
Kite and BBC R&D – How the weather affects every day plans and how BBC Weather can help you adapt your activities
CTI, Milky Tea and BBC Cardiff – a BBC Weather app with a crowdsourced weather data feature
The Swarm – Visualising weather information and user contributions by time and location
Nixon Mcinnes and BBC R&D – using Twitter to deliver personal weather forecasts for particular locations
BBC R&D - Weather stations for Schools providing location content
Once again it was impressive to see what could be built in two days. Great work by everyone and we will let you know within a few weeks which ideas we would like to develop as pilots - after a tough judging process by myself, Jo Wickremasinghe, Liz Howell, Ben Gammon, Jeremy Tarling and Stephen Robertson. Thanks also to John Bevan and the team at MozSpace, London for agreeing to host the Studio and provide an excellent working environment.
Finally, a reminder that we still have a few places left for the CBeebies Creative Studio up in Salford on July 12 – this is available to all BBC staff as well as external companies with relevant experience.
The CBeebies brief (MS Word .doc) is out. To apply email ConnectedStudios@bbc.co.uk with “CBeebies Creative Studio” as the subject line.
Information on Connected studio will be changing regularly so keep up to date with @BBC_Connected and our website www.bbcconnectedstudio.co.uk.
Adrian Woolard is the Project Director, North Lab, BBC Research and Development and is responsible for Phase 1 of the Connected Studio programme
June 29, 2012
What's on BBC Red Button 30th June - 7th July
T in the Park
T in the Park
The UK's liveliest festival crowd and an iconic setting in rolling Scottish countryside always make T in the Park a huge spectacle. Viewers will be treated to extended coverage on Red Button - full sets and uninterrupted music from three stages at T, as well as tracks from some of the stars of the future performing for BBC Introducing.
This year's artists include current crowd favourites Tinie Tempah, Professor Green, Jessie J, Example and Emile Sandé. The Main Stage will play host to a party of epic proportions on Saturday for headliners The Stone Roses, on stage after Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds. More quality nostalgia is provided over the weekend by New Order, Simple Minds and The Happy Mondays. Other festival favourites playing include Kasabian, Snow Patrol, Florence & the Machine, Chase & Status, David Guetta, Calvin Harris, Swedish House Mafia and Elbow.
Available on all platforms Freesat/Sky/Virgin Media: Freeview:
Fri 6th July, 9:00pm-2:00am
Sat 7th July, 3:35pm-7:50pm, 9:30pm-2:00am
Fri 6th July, 9:10pm-2:00am
Sat 7th July, 9:20pm-2:00am
Secret Fortune - Play Along Quiz
The National Lottery: Secret Fortune - The ultra-tense quiz show with lots of twists returns to BBC One, hosted by Nick Knowles.
Studio contestants compete to win their Secret Fortune, anything from £100 to £100,000. Press the Red Button during the show to Available on Sky/Freeview:
play along at home with the contestants. What would your Secret Fortune be?
Sat 30th June, 8:20pm-9.10pm
Sat 7th July, 8:20pm-9:10pm
Feed My Funny
The Red Button will be showing highlights of the seven web exclusive comedies produced for BBC Three. Feed My Funny online exclusives extends BBC Three's reputation for breaking new
comedy talent on TV, and now you can watch them on Red Button. From new sketch show formats like For The Win and Dawson Bros Funtime to hidden camera stunts in Impractical Jokers, a vehicle for exciting new stand-up
Imran Yusuf and surreal silent comedy from The Boy With Tape on his Face - this is diverse British Comedy that until now you could only see online.
Available on all platforms
Freesat/Sky/Virgin Media:
Mon 2nd July - Thu 5th July, 9:30pm-4:00am
Sat 7th July, 2:30am-4:00am
Freeview:
Tue 3rd July, 9:30pm-4:00am
Wed 4th July, 11:10pm-4:00am
Thu 5th July, 9:30pm-4:00am
Sat 7th July, 2:10am-4:00am
London Collection
Aerial view of London, looking east towards Canary Wharf
The London Collection is an archive collection that celebrates the people and places of London. Highlights are available on the Red Button and the full archive collection is available
online at BBC Four Collections. There will be various programmes on both BBC Two and BBC Four which are supported by this
collection.
Available on all platforms
Freesat/Sky/Virgin Media:
Sat 30th June, 9:40pm-4:00am
Mon 2nd July, 9:30pm-4:00am
Tue 3rd July, 9:35pm-4:00am
Wed 4th July, 9:55pm-4:00am
Thu 5th July, 9:30pm-4:00am
Fri 6th July, 9:30pm-4:00am
Freeview:
Wed 4th July, 9:55pm-11:00pm
CBBC Extra
Press red on the CBBC channel this week and join Chris and Dodge. T. Dog as they introduce exclusive clips from a wealth of CBBC goodies including Hacker Time and Blue Peter's Olympic Tour. Chris also goes behind the scenes for exclusive access on the set of all new Shaun the Sheep Championsheeps!
You can also read Chris and Dodge's blog, answers to some of your questions, read your horoscopes and see if the jokes that made Chris and Dodge LOL will have the same effect on you.
Go on, press red... You know you want to!
Available on all platforms
Freesat/Sky/Virgin Media:
Sat 30th June, 7:00am-9:20am
Mon 2nd July-Sat 7th July, 7:00am-10:00am
Freeview:
Sat 30th June, 7:00am-9:40am
Mon 2nd July-Thu 6th July, 7:00am-10:00am
Fri 6th July, 7:00am-9:45am
CBBC Euro Final Commentary
Get ready! Because this Sunday during the Euro 2012 Final CBBC is hosting the CBBC Euro Commentary on the red button. Chris Johnson doesn't know much about football but don't worry Match of the Day Kick About's Sonali Shah will be there to help him out, along with Michael Absolam and Joel Defries - it should be mayhem.
Go to the CBBC Messageboards
to join in and let us know what you're up to. Your comments might get read out on the night!
Press red to listen to the CBBC alternative commentary live as you watch the match from 7:45pm on Sunday, and select 'Alternative Commentary'.
CBeebies Red Button
BBC Red Button welcomes younger viewers and grown-ups with a sense of adventure to the big, bright and fun world of CBeebies interactive!
Your children's favourite characters are at the heart of the interactive TV experience. Satellite and digital terrestrial viewers will have slightly different offerings
from one another. This has enabled the Red Button team to offer the best games tailored to each system.
CBeebies Red Button is available on the CBeebies channel, and via page 5900 on other channels.
Available on Freeview and Sky only
BBC Sport Multiscreen**
Catch up on all the latest Sport via the BBC Sport multiscreen. Headlines are available around the clock with up to five additional streams available to cover the best that BBC Sport has
to offer.
Please note that Red Button sport timings are subject to change at short notice.
For the latest information refer to the BBC Sport website.
Highlights
Torch Relay - Live coverage of the Olympic Torch relay
Tennis - Live coverage of the Wimbledon Championships 2012
Euro 2012 - Live coverage of the final with alternative audios and rolling highlights.
**Note all Red Button times are subject to change at short notice
Launch of Live Interactive Video Player
The live, interactive video player combines HD video with cutting edge data to enhance your viewing
I want to tell you about a new live interactive video player that the BBC is launching for this summer's Olympics.
We rolled it out fully today after a period in beta testing when we were able to assess its performance and get your feedback.
As product manager for this player, I've been defining exactly how the finished product should function and what it should look like, working with colleagues from editorial, design and technical teams.
One of the main impetuses behind the project is the incredible video rights package that the BBC holds for London 2012.
The BBC is the sole rights holder for the Olympics in the UK and we are able to offer users live video from every venue on every day of the Games.
That means up to 24 different streams of live sporting action at any one time.
So we wanted to take this opportunity to build a video player that would offer the best possible desktop video viewing experience to do justice to that incredible breadth of live content and would also provide a lasting legacy to BBC Online and our audiences in the years to come.
That means making the video available in high definition and then enhancing it with some extra functionality that in terms of added choice, rivals anything you would have experienced before while watching sport on your TV.
The key features in the new player are:
• Every sport available live and on demand in HD quality on every day of the Games
• Easy switching between up to 24 live streams at any time
• The ability to pause and rewind live video or jump straight to key moments you may have missed by using chapter markers (eg the Men's 100m final)
• Alerts for the key events that have happened or are coming up so you don't miss the moments that matter to you
• Extra facts and info on the sports and competitors you are watching alongside the video
The video player combines the video with the associated data that is available to us, creating a much richer experience for our audiences. The types of information and data provided includes:
Olympics Live: worried you'll miss something happening at another Olympic venue? Olympics Live alerts viewers to interesting moments happening live across the 24 simultaneous streams, making sure you don't miss any key action
Athletes: discover more about the individual athletes, including information on their performance and previous times, while you watch
Sports guides: wonder how a specific sport works? This feature gives you the info about the individual sports, with five key facts offered for every discipline
Match stats: key real-time statistics about the event
Where we are able to show athlete performance data, the key thing is that we synchronise the data and video together so that you always see the stats appropriate for the point in the video that you are watching.
So if you decide to watch a video from the start, we won't give you the results from the end. And if you are watching live, we won't show the result of the Men's 100m before you've had a chance to watch it!
You may already have had a sneak preview of the video player as we've been trialling a beta version on recent events including Formula 1 and Euro 2012.
Today we took the decision to separate Sport's live text commentary page and the video player in order to make sure it is fully tested at load before the Olympics kick off.
For now you will be able to watch in HD quality once the bit rate ramps up, pause or rewind the live action or jump to chapters using the buttons below the timeline.
And by clicking in the top left hand corner you can choose from any of the streams we're offering for Wimbledon, the Euros or our other events on the BBC.
You can watch our video player on your desktop computer and certain tablets that support Flash. On mobiles and iPads you will be able to watch the video but without the extra functionality.
I'd really like to hear back from you about your experience of using the video player.
I'd be particularly interested if you have any problems with the performance of the player or the quality of the video you are seeing.
Alex Perry is Product Manager, Interactive Video Player, BBC News & Knowledge
Watch this video of Gary Lineker explaining the features of the interactive video player.
You must have a TV licence to watch live TV streamed on your computer. A 'live' TV programme is defined as a programme which is watched or recorded at the same time (or virtually the same time) as it is being broadcast.
Olympic Favourites
Hi I'm Andy Pipes, and I lead the product development for the Sport Olympics website. Today we're launching "Olympic favourites", a way to personalise your experience of the Olympic Games. With one click you can keep up to date with the latest news and stats from any athlete, country or olympic sports you're interested in. This blog post describes how it works.
The BBC Sport website will tell the story of this year's Olympic Games with over 10,000 pages of content about the events, countries and athletes taking part.
How do you keep on top of all the news, schedules and stats about the people and activities that interest you most when the occasion is in full swing?
We hope Favourites allows you to do just that.
When you're browsing the new Olympics web site, you will notice light grey "plus" symbols next to important names: athletes such as Rebecca Adlington, collections of events such as Table Tennis, specific events such as the Women's Pole Vault, and competing countries like Team GB.
These plus symbols are a way into a simple but smart bookmarking system.
Roll over the plus symbol, and you'll see the text "Add to Favourites" appear in green. Click on this text, and you're telling us that you'd like that person or thing to be added to your personal list of items to keep track of.
Press the button and you'll notice a pop-up message telling you that you have added the item to your favourites, and a prompt for you to open what we call the 'favourites tray'. Opening the tray reveals a grid of five boxes waiting to be filled with your favourite athletes, countries and events.
The Favourites Tray
The tray displays the latest headline for each of up to five favourites, as well as links to their pages on the site. The favourites tray follows you around the BBC Sport site, so that you can check in and see what's new for your favourites whilst you're reading a story, or watching a video.
If you've already added five items, and attempt to follow a sixth by pressing the Add to Favourites button, a menu will appear asking you which of your existing favourites you'd like to replace with the new one.
Your Favourites Page
The favourites tray also contains a link to a personalised page. Click on the link saying Favourites Page. Here, you'll receive more news from your favourites, links to share your favourites activity with your social network friends, and a special detail panel that updates throughout the Games.
Each type of item - be it person, place or activity - is displayed in your favourites page alongside the most relevant stats for that subject.
Athletes
Before the Olympics has started, if you've selected an athlete for your favourites, you'll see the start date of the first of their events listed in the detail panel, so you will know when they will get out of the blocks. Then, during the Games, the detail panel will list out all of your athletes' results, including medals.
Countries
If you support a national team, when you select them as a favourite, the detail panel will - up to the start of the Games - display the medal totals for that team in Beijing 2008 as well as surface their top medal sport four years ago. During the Games, the medal counts are replaced by live medal tallies, and top medal sports for London 2012.
Collection of events (e.g. Swimming)
Before the Games, your detail panel will show you a few facts: when that sport starts in July or August, and which country took its top honours in the Beijing Games. During the London Games, this detail panel transforms into a mini-schedule for that sport, displaying its 3 upcoming events. And after all the events in that sport are complete, the detail panel will show which country or countries performed best this year.
Specific event (e.g. Women's 3m Springboard)
Before the event kicks off, the detail panel shows two items - a countdown clock to the first day of the event, and the athlete or team who won the event in Beijing four years ago.
Then, as the event gets into full swing, the detail panel will tell you exactly which rounds or matches of the event are coming up next. Then, when all the action is over in that event, the favourites page will display the medalists alongside the latest news for the event.
I hope that you explore this new feature in the run-up to the Games, and use it as an integral piece of your Olympics experience on the BBC Sport website.
Please let me know in the comments your thoughts on the service, and how we might improve it in future releases.
Andrew Pipes is Senior Product Manager, Sport & Olympics 2012, BBC Future Media
June 28, 2012
BBC Sport Beta Facebook App
Mockup of the Facebook app during play, showing the social enhancement of the video
I'm Aaron Scullion, Executive Product Manager at BBC Future Media. I'm currently working on sport and the Olympics at the BBC, and recently blogged about the new BBC Sport app for connected TVs that we launched in April. I'd like to tell you about another way we're making it possible for you to watch live video from BBC Sport.
Today, we have launched a new BBC Sport Facebook app – the details are in the press release. During the Olympics this will enable users in the UK to watch up to 24 streams of live Olympics video the BBC is broadcasting (plus BBC One, Two and Three) – directly within Facebook.
Right now, we're running the service as a beta, featuring all our live video from Wimbledon – up to six live streams, plus BBC One and Two.
As you can see from the screenshot above, the app is a BBC Sport service, but is entirely delivered within Facebook.
This means that we can use the social functionality Facebook offers to enhance the experience.
For example, when you watch a match in Facebook, you can see how many people - and how many people you're friends with on Facebook - are watching that same event.
As well as that, the fact that you're watching the match is shared with your friends, via an update in their Facebook news feed. (You can easily remove each update with a single click if you don't want to share at a particular time).
You can also see which matches are proving most popular on Facebook, and switch to a different video stream on that basis.
We want as many licence fee payers as possible to have access to the full Olympics live video offering, and our Facebook app will offer this to viewers who may not regularly visit the BBC Sport website. As previously announced, during the Games the BBC will offer audiences more choice than ever before with up to 24 Olympic streams on cable, satellite, online and connected TV. Helping viewers find the event they want to watch is key, and our Facebook app offers another way to choose what you want to watch, by showing which events are most popular with the public, and which events your friends are watching.
We will be testing the BBC Sport app during Wimbledon, and updating it with more functionality as we go.
This is the first time the BBC has streamed content in Facebook, and we are excited to offer our audiences a social viewing experience around big sports events.
As ever, the full BBC Sport offering continues to be available at www.bbc.co.uk/sport.
In the near future we’ll blog about this app again, with more details on the technical architecture that underpins what we’ve launched today. I'd be very interested in hearing feedback from anyone who has tried the application in the comments below.
Aaron Scullion is Executive Product Manager, BBC Future Media
June 27, 2012
The Future of Red Button
What a future connected Red Button service might look like
I'm Daniel Danker, General Manager of On Demand at the BBC, and today I spoke at the Future of Broadcasting conference on integrating online and traditional TV, focusing on
our vision for Red Button.
Thirteen years ago this week, the BBC launched the first interactive experience for Wimbledon audiences via the Red Button. While watching Wimbledon,
audiences could choose their court, monitor the scores in detail, and play along with an interactive quiz. A million people accessed this in 1999. Just two
years later this figure was four million - fully 44% of our audience who tuned in played along.
Wimbledon helped us define what Red Button could deliver to our audiences. Since that launch thirteen years ago, Red Button has gone from success to
success, with a third of the population of the UK pressing Red on a weekly basis.
Today's Red Button
Each month, Red Button reaches a third of the population of the UK. While watching TV, users simply press the Red button on their remote and get quick and easy access to news headlines, sports scores, and the weather. While new forms of interactivity have popped up around TV and struggled to really become an inherent part of how people watch telly, the Red Button has been a quiet hero in the world of companion experiences. It has brought simple, elegant interactivity to television for over a decade.
The BBC is committed to delivering quality programming - the challenge and opportunity of Red Button is in figuring out how we can add even greater value to that content for audiences, right on the TV. A prime example developed last year was the Maestro Cam, which enabled Proms fans to see the concert from the perspective of the conductor.
One of our more surprising experiments has been to see if Red Button could make radio services richer on TV. With the Red Button, audiences have had the opportunity to watch the Radio 1 studios live, and get up close and person with live music sessions on Radio 2. This is a great way for me and my team to experiment with transforming the way audiences think about the radio experience and what it can offer them visually as well as aurally.
Maestro Cam
Red Button reborn
Yet Red Button has its limitations. Because it relies entirely on broadcast technologies, Red Button competes with other channels for spectrum. This is a scarce resource. So scarce, in fact, that this year we've seen a phased reduction of broadcast Red Button services, as part of our Delivering Quality First strategy.
This presents us with an opportunity to give Red Button a new lease of life, taking advantage of new web-based technologies that deliver richer, more visually-enticing experiences. And today at the conference I outlined our ambition to connect the very best of traditional Red Button with the breadth and depth of BBC Online.
This new "Connected" Red Button will become the foundation for interactivity around the BBC's television channels on the TV, and I believe that it will set the benchmark for seamlessly bringing broadcast television together with the internet.
Making great TV even better
This isn't about browsing the web, ordering a pizza, or doing your banking on your TV; nor is about pouring all of BBC Online into the TV experience.
It's about making great TV even better. How will it do this?
Imagine you're watching Eastenders and realise you missed the previous episode. Press Red and instantly bring up iPlayer to catch up on the episode you missed.
Or you're watching a cooking programme and you see a recipe you'd like to try. Press Red, save it for later and access the recipe on your computer, tablet or mobile when you're ready to cook.
With a wealth of content at our fingertips, Connected Red Button seamlessly brings together broadcast and online television. Audiences will be able to experience this first-hand during the Olympics, where they'll be able to watch 24 live channels, in HD, available exclusively online but delivered to the TV in a way that blends the media and makes the technology truly invisible.
We'll be exploring ways we can extend these experiences to mobile and tablet devices also, with our upcoming companion screen experience for Antiques Roadshow being a good example of what's possible. And we're looking beyond the tech-savvy to ensure simplicity and ease of use is at the heart of everything we do. The Antiques Roadshow pilot is very much a mainstream experience, built around a mainstream programme, extended and made better through participation and interactivity.
Reinventing Red Button
Red Button might have started simplistically as a way for the BBC to provide audiences with instant, highly relevant information right on the TV. And what a success it's been, still continuing its impressive growth over a decade after it was first unveiled. But while some might have expected Red Button to slowly be replaced with the web across an assortment of devices, no one would deny that the simplicity and ease of Red Button is as important today as when it was first introduced.
So rather than anticipate a transition away from Red Button, at the BBC we're bringing the very best of Red Button together with the very best of BBC Online, to reinvent the experience on any screen.
This is our vision for the future, and I hope to build on this in more detail later in the year. Until then, do leave a comment and let me know what you think.
Daniel Danker is General Manager, Programmes & On-Demand
N.B. image and caption at top of post changed at 13.55 p.m. Wednesday 27th June
June 25, 2012
Connected Studio 3: Update and CBeebies
Teams hard at work at the Creative Studio, getting their concepts ready to pitch
Weather and Travel Creative Studio
On Tuesday June 12th the Google Campus was host to the second Creative Studio - part of the BBC Connected studio programme. The focus this time was on Weather and Travel.
Suitably enough it was pouring with rain as the attendees arrived but at least that reminded us why the British are obsessed with the weather.
The day kicked off with a briefing from our guests Liz Howell, Head of BBC Weather and Jo Wickremasinghe, Head of Product for Weather & Travel News, providing context for the teams and explaining where they saw the opportunities for innovation within the BBC Weather product.
It was great to see everyone so eager to crack on, and I had barely finished my introduction before the attendees were breaking out to start a day that proved to be fruitful and full of creative innovation.
Some teams came already formed, some came together on the day, but all found space and some wifi across two floors of Google Campus and got on with developing their ideas.
It was the first time Connected Studio had ventured away from a BBC site and the venue was brilliant. Aa big thank you goes to the team at Google Campus.
We once again held our 'Speakers' Corner', informal sessions where BBC staff shared their knowledge.
There were talks on:
the technical platform and data the teams had to play with
location services, audience and market insight
UXD
how to use paper prototypes to demonstrate and test ideas
Being only our second Creative studio, we were keen to maintain the spirit of collaboration and we weren't disappointed. The "show and tell" at the end of the day saw pitches from teams that mixed BBC staff, freelancers, agencies and the Met Office.
In all we had more than 60 attendees at the event, and 25 concepts presented at the end of the day. As we saw at the Homepage, Search, and Navigation (HPSN) event the standards were high, and after a final selection session on Tuesday we have invited teams comprising attendees from 383, MilkyTea, CTI, The Swarm, Nixon McInnes, and Kite, to work alongside staff from across the BBC at next week's Build Studio at MozSpace.
Pilots from the HPSN events
The HPSN Build Studio judging panel have agreed which concepts will move forward to the next stage in the process - development into functional pilots.
We have approached Kent Lyons, Red Badger, and Goss Interactive as well as Fiona Iglesias from the BBC.
Thanks to all those who worked so hard at the Build Studio - we hope that you still found the experience enjoyable and worthwhile even if your idea didn't picked up to be a pilot.
Next up: CBeebies
The next Creative Studio will be for CBeebies up in Salford's MediaCityUK on July 12 - this will be followed by the Build Studio on July 24/25, also in Salford.
The Creative Studio is open to companies of all sizes and individuals with relevant experience and expertise and is a great opportunity to gain insight into the CBeebies product, collaborate with BBC staff, and pitch for your idea to be developed into a pilot.
You can read the brief (MS Office .doc) and if you want to get involved please read the application details.
To express your interest in future Studios, please contact ConnectedStudios@bbc.co.uk. Follow @BBC_Connected for updates, visit bbcconnectedstudio.co.uk for more information, and comment or ask questions below.
Adrian Woolard is the Project Director, North Lab, BBC Research and Development and is responsible for Phase 1 of the Connected Studio programme
June 22, 2012
What's on BBC Red Button 23rd - 30th June
Hackney Weekend 2012
Sub Focus performing at Radio 1's Big Weekend in Bangor
Extended highlights from Hackney Weekend 2012 are available to view via the Red Button. On Sky, Virgin and Freesat there's a minimum of two streams at all times, showing sets from four stages. We'll also be showing individual tracks from some of the BBC Introducing acts, alongside the big hitters!
Artists include: Sub Focus, Michael Kiwanuka, Rizzle Kicks, Example, DJ Fresh, The Maccabees, D'Banj, The Vaccines, Rudimental, deadmau5, Delilah, Flo Rida, Jack White, Sean Paul, Swedish House Mafia, Labrinth, Azealia Banks, David Guetta, Chase & Status and Nas.
Available on all platforms
Freesat/Sky/Virgin Media:
Sat 23rd June, 4:00pm-2:00am
Sun 24th June, 5:00pm-2:00am
Freeview:
Sat 23rd June, 4:00pm-2:00am
Sun 24th June, 5:00pm-7:20pm, 10:40pm-2:00am
In It To Win It
Dale Winton presents the final episode in the current series of In It To Win It, the game show where people compete on general knowledge for a big money jackpot.
Think you can do better? Press the Red Button during the show to pit your wits against the studio contestants. Come the final round, will you still be In It To Win It?
Available on Sky only:
Sat 23rd June, 7:40pm-8.30pm
Secret Fortune - Play Along Quiz
The National Lottery: Secret Fortune:- The ultra-tense quiz show with lots of twists returns to BBC One, hosted by Nick Knowles.
Studio contestants compete to win their Secret Fortune, anything from £100 to £100,000. Press the Red Button during the show to play along at home with the contestants. What would your Secret Fortune be? Available on Sky/Freeview:
Sat 30th June, 8:20pm-9.10pm
London Collection
Aerial view of London, looking east towards Canary Wharf
The London Collection is an archive collection that celebrates the people and places of London. Highlights are available on the Red Button and the full archive collection is available online at BBC Four Collections. There will be various programmes on both BBC Two and BBC Four which are supported by this collection.
Available on all platforms
Freesat/Sky/Virgin Media:
Mon 25th June, 9:30pm-4:00am
Tue 26th June, 9:30pm-4:00am
Wed 27th June, 9:55pm-4:00am
Thu 28th June, 9:30pm-4:00am
Fri 29th June, 9:30pm-4:00am
Sat 30th June, 9:40pm-4:00am
Freeview:
Wed 27th June, 9:55pm-10:50pm
CBBC Extra
Press red on the CBBC channel this week and join Chris and Dodge. T. Dog as they introduce exclusive clips from a wealth of CBBC goodies from Horrible Histories to Dani's House and we also have an exclusive behind the scenes look at Friday Download!
There's also loads of other cool stuff including Chris and Dodge's blog, answers to some of your questions and your very own horoscopes Yonko style. Also, read the jokes that made Chris and Dodge LOL to see if they will have the same effect on you.
Available on all platforms
Freesat/Sky/Virgin Media:
Sat 23rd June-Fri 29th June, 7:00am-10:00am
Sat 30th June, 7:00am-9:20am
Freeview:
Sat 23rd June, 7:00am-9:45am
Mon 25th June-Fri 29th June, 7:00am-10:00am
Sat 30th June, 7:00am-9:40am
CBeebies Red Button
BBC Red Button welcomes younger viewers and grown-ups with a sense of adventure to the big, bright and fun world of CBeebies interactive!
Your children's favourite characters are at the heart of the interactive TV experience. Satellite and digital terrestrial viewers will have slightly different offerings
from one another. This has enabled the Red Button team to offer the best games tailored to each system.
CBeebies Red Button is available on the CBeebies channel, and via page 5900 on other channels.
Available on Freeview and Sky only
BBC Sport Multiscreen**
Catch up on all the latest Sport via the BBC Sport multiscreen. Headlines are available around the clock with up to five additional streams available to cover the best that BBC Sport has to offer.
Please note that Red Button sport timings are subject to change at short notice.
For the latest information refer to the BBC Sport website.
Highlights
Formula 1 - Live coverage of the European Grand Prix in Valencia.
Tennis - Live coverage of the Wimbledon Championships 2012.
Euro 2012 - Live coverage of the England v Italy quarter final followed by a forum.
**Note all Red Button times are subject to change at short notice
Digital Public Space: Watch This Space
Shakespeare from around the world features on The Space, including a version of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" from South Korea - part of the Globe to Globe season
Hi - I'm the Managing Editor of The Space.
I'm responsible for leading and managing the day to day delivery of The Space as a live service. I do scheduling, quality, compliance and editorial process. I try and make sure we have the necessary content mix, respond to audience and user behaviour, and ensure coherence on all platforms. I manage a small team and work closely with the technical team (lead by Jake who blogged last week) on the development of and implementation of the platforms.
When I was recruited (I only joined the project at the beginning of February - 3 months before launch), Tony Ageh told me 3 things which I have held on to. Firstly, that The Space is asking a question (or a series of questions), and is not supposed to be the answer. This means, he explained, that it will be a hard project, but we and others will learn a lot and therefore so long as we learn, we cannot fail.
Secondly, that while he needed me to hold on to my BBCishness, he also needed me to not always respond in a BBC way to the challenges I would face in dealing with the arts organisations who would be our "suppliers".
Thirdly, he warned that me and others on the editorial team would find it very hard not to roll up our sleeves and start fixing and doing and making output on behalf of the arts organisations. This we were expressly forbidden from doing until the last possible moment, because while we were there to advise, question, probe and even suggest, we were not there to make the projects. How else would we learn what the arts sector was capable of? (That was one of the questions being asked by the project).
Art
So armed with this advice, I'll say it's been all that and more. Launching a service from scratch, in a few months, with an outside partner organisation (Arts Council England) and showcasing a whole lot of material which neither us, nor the people who are making it can define in terms of scope and ambition has been very challenging. There is literally never a dull moment.
I feel total affection for all the 53 arts projects which Arts Council England commissioned for The Space. They all deserve their moment in the sun and the editorial team here all work really hard to ensure that the projects look as good as they possibly can on The Space.
I can't detail all the art we've published so far, about 1/3 of the total and in excess of 100 pages of content, but here's a sample:
there's the audience attention grabbing John Peel Project, which delivers every week;
the constant audience demand for all the Shakespeare plays from The Globe, sometimes before they had even been shown in the theatre;
the unusual, in the form of the sound of Twitter by the Britten Sinfonia
and my personal favourite, the mix of poems, readings and archive footage from Faber & Faber of Carol Ann Duffy's Jubilee Lines.
Others to mention; the BFI for giving us some real gems which are a great length for online consumption, the Beginnings of great film makers, as well as the new generation's Shorts.
The unbelievably prolific Alan Sillitoe Committee are setting us a regular challenge of how to promote, link and interrelate their material.
And finally the Vanilla Galleries, who for the first week of our launch did 6 hour blocks of live art every day, including the bank holiday weekend and overnight, which called on all the live service team (Ana Lucia Gonzalez, Dora Sommerville, Mike Osborn and Sally Taft) to work even longer hours than we already had to launch the service.
My best moment so far: with less than a week until launch the first piece of actual content arrived in the office (7083 TVC) in the form of a donation from Gilbert and George, delivered by Paul Wu. Cue hysterical joy at the idea of actually having something to publish on May 1. We'd calmed down a bit (only a bit) by the time the next generous gift arrived from David Shrigley - they will have friends in Space forever.
What's next?
It's been unexpectedly fun engaging arts organisations in compliance, less fun encouraging them to do music reporting. More fun than you'd expect promoting art/The Space on Twitter and Facebook and much more fun than it normally is at the BBC working with the technical and ux team on developing a service which is still very much work in progress.
One of the hardest parts has been managing user expectation about any project that the BBC is associated with, particularly in relation to accessibility, Freeview HD and browser compatibility. Everyone expects it to be perfect from the very beginning (if only they knew!) and it's hard to explain that this is more like a mini start-up, rather than a full on BBC service. We're still working on the CMS and developing it every week, as challenging projects require new features.
For a proposition which was launched quite softly, the initial stats of over 250,000 visits in the first couple of weeks have been encouraging. More than 3,000 people caught up with Britten's War Requiem on The Space in the week after we streamed it live (only available in the UK) and the OverWorlds & UnderWorlds Festival in Leeds on the weekend of 18/19 May was watched live by more than 6,000 unique users.
On the editorial side there are still lots of challenges ahead.
We're trying to find a good way of telling the audience what's available - how do you search for something if you don't know it's there? - how do you schedule something when you don't know when it will arrive? What's the balance between a self-publishing model for arts organisations and a service provided by an editorial team which puts the user at the centre of the proposition? So, it's a huge relief to have launched and survived the first 6 weeks. But there's a lot of work ahead, especially to get answers to all those questions Tony talked about.
So if you use the Space please do a leave a comment.
Hilary Bishop is Managing Editor of the Space.
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