BBC wants to open iPlayer to other broadcasters

The iPlayer might show Corrie

The BBC wants to open up its iPlayer video-on-demand service to other broadcasters so that viewers can use the technology to access their programmes online.

Erik Huggers, BBC's director of future media and technology, reportedly told a conference in Amsterdam that one of the most searched terms in the iPlayer is Coronation Street, produced by rival ITV, suggesting viewers are keen to use the tool more widely. His vision of the "Open iPlayer" would see Coronation Street fans being able to watch the show.

Such a move would require approval from the BBC Trust, which regulates the corporation's activities, but Huggers believes that the Open iPlayer could be used by other broadcasters, not just in the UK but around the world.

Opening up the service would come under close scrutiny - the BBC's previous plan to develop standard video-on-demand technology, a joint venture with ITV and Channel 4 called Project Kangaroo, was vetoed by the Competition Commission.