The BBC has released a new app that aims to help audiences find content that suits their interests. BBC+ launches for iOS and Android devices today, and should make it much easier for users to find relevant selections from all corners of the broadcaster’s varied output.
Users sign into the service with their BBC iD, which is already used to personalize content on the corporation’s website. Individuals who have already stated their preferences elsewhere will see their feed autopopulated with materials that seem likely to be of interest.
To further customize the app’s content, users can then choose from a long list of topics and themes. This includes local and regional news, individual sports, science, music, business, politics, and many more, according to a report from Engadget.
As well as news reports, the app will also populate with clips from radio broadcast and television programs. The idea is to give users access to as broad a select of the BBC’s output as possible from their smartphone — which will help facilitate the ulterior motive of BBC+.
Since the service allows individuals to tell the BBC what they’re interested in, BBC+ will help the broadcaster profile its audience. Knowing what sort of topics appeal to various sectors of licence fee payers will allow those viewers to be better served going forward.
The app will keep the BBC informed about what topics are trending at a given time, which subjects have a more longlasting appeal, and whether audiences prefer a particular format. While this data is being collected and analyzed, BBC+ will be curated by humans, rather than by an algorithm.
For now, the BBC+ app is launching in the United Kingdom. However, there’s a possibility that the service could travel further afield in due course, particularly if the long-rumored “Britflix” service becomes a reality in the coming months.
