7 NEWSFEED Updates & Upgrades
The BBC is planning a redesign of its iPlayer streaming service in an attempt to deal with changes in the way that people are now consuming television. Shows will be made available by default for up to a year, rather than the previous IPLAYER UPGRADE
30-day limit. Though, it’s unclear how this will affect deals cut by the BBC to sell its shows to rival streaming services after they disappear from iPlayer. No date has been set for the revamp, which will be the fourth time the service has made changes to its platform since it launched 12 years ago. It will retain its name, but its look will be changed, and
TikTok has launched an education programme in India as the short-form video app looks to expand its offering. EduTok covers a range of topics, from school-level science and maths concepts to learning new languages. It also features physical and mental health awareness videos, as well as motivational talks. It has partnered with EdTech start-ups, which will produce educational content for the programme. It is also collaborating with Josh Talks, who has already reached more than a record-breaking 35m users in less than two months on TikTok. In the last few months, more than 10m educational videos have been created and shared on TikTok, where they have gained more than 48bn views. The company has not announced the financial structure of its deals with creator partners. The programme aims to democratise learning for the platform’s 200m monthly users in India as demand for education content increases. This expansion to e-learning could also help improve its unscrupulous reputation. Earlier this year, an Indian court banned TikTok, alleging it was hosting and promoting pornographic content. The ban was later lifted. BBC director of content, Charlotte Moore, described the changes as “a new front door for British creativity,” as the broadcaster promises talent “unprecedented levels of creative freedom” and a “broader shop window” on BBC platforms. SHORT-FORM EDUCATION all BBC channels and live events will be integrated alongside box sets.
GAMES COMPANIES EXPLOIT UK TAX RELIEF
A Guardian investigation has found that a UK tax policy intended to boost the domestic video games industry has been used by some of the world’s largest games publishers to avoid paying corporation tax. WarnerMedia, which owns British game development companies that make the Lego and Batman: Arkham series, has claimed up to £60m. Sony, the owner of PlayStation, claimed almost £30m and Sega, which makes the sport series Football Manager, claimed up to £20m. Video Games Tax Relief (VGTR) was introduced by the UK government in 2014 to enable games developers to claim back up to 20% of production costs, with the intention
that it would help small and medium- sized businesses. The European Commission expressed concern the incentive could be used by larger companies, but was persuaded it would focus on “a small number of distinctive, culturally British games, which have increasing difficulties to find private financing”. Five years since the policy passed, The Guardian review of its impact suggests the opposite. Close to half of the relief went to four large foreign- based companies. Scores of games that have few, if any, British cultural reference have been awarded large rebates. The cost of VGTR to the UK taxpayer has increased to over £100m a year, treble what was forecast.
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