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BBC podcasts on third-party apps

bbc.co.uk

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Re: BBC podcasts on third-party apps

#3
This is hilarious. Google is trying to leverage it's search & mobile OS market positions into pushing people towards its podcast app. Unfortunately for Google it has come up against one of the few entities in the world that can just turn around and say "Fuck. That."

Frankly, I think this is a monopolist tactic from Google and it should result in government investigations but I have no hope that will happen. Nice to know people like the BBC have the balls to say no to this though.

Re: BBC podcasts on third-party apps

#4
Shame the BBC Sounds app doesn't support casting though, instead telling people to just ask their smart speaker to play the BBC podcasts directly.

I sympathise with their decision, but it doesn't seem a very joined up one.

Re: BBC podcasts on third-party apps

#6
post #3

This is hilarious. Google is trying to leverage it's search & mobile OS market positions into pushing people towards its podcast app. Unfortunately for Google it has come up against one of the few entities in the world that can just turn around and say "Fuck. That." Frankly, I think this is a monopolist tactic from Google and it should result in government investigations but I have no hope that will happen. Nice to k…

That's not quite what happens. https://podnews.net/article/bbc-blocks-google does go into the actual user experience, rather than what the BBC is claiming.

Re: BBC podcasts on third-party apps

#8
I don't know why BBC pushes it's sounds app so hard. I get nagged to use it every time I listen through Alexa too. There's no BBC sounds smart speaker so why do they care? What do they gain from me using the app?

Re: BBC podcasts on third-party apps

#10

https://podnews.net/article/bbc-blocks-google has more on this.

From this article:

> Talking to Podnews, a BBC spokesperson said that Google is required to sign a licence to link to their podcasts; and that the Distribution Policy also requires Google to supply user data to the BBC. There has been a “consultation with Google”, and the BBC “has no choice but to stop Google from making podcasts available via Google products.”

> However, Ofcom, the UK media regulator, requires that “the BBC must offer the public services to third parties in response to reasonable requests for supply, except where the BBC has an objective justification for not doing so. In offering the public services for supply, and in supplying those services, the BBC must act on a fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory basis.” (¶3.3.2).

> In recent months, the BBC have been removing some of its podcasts from third-party platforms, and placing them exclusively within their BBC Sounds app. BBC podcasts are supported by advertising outside the UK, though BBC Sounds remains unavailable to non-UK listeners.

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