Unveiling his vision for the BBC’s future, Lord Hall said the public must be at the centre of all the BBC’s activity, with services shaped to reflect how audiences consume content.
He said: “Our audiences demand to be involved and expect to participate. In the future they will talk to us and we will listen.”
Among a host of new initiatives, Lord Hall revealed that the iPlayer would be transformed from a catch-up service into the digital hub for all BBC content, including ‘pop-up’ channels for specific events and exclusive content such as the previously announced Radio 1 TV channel.
The next-generation iPlayer will also introduce the ability to pause and resume TV viewing from one screen to another and the ability for users to create personalised channels based on their preferences.
In addition, BBC managers would seek approval from the BBC Trust to extend the availability of content to 30 days, up from the current 7.
Hall said that for many viewers “BBC iPlayer is going to be the front door to our programming and the experience they have is going to be a world away from that of a traditional ‘one to many’ broadcaster.”
A new +1 timeshift version of BBC One will also help audiences find content when they want it.
The broadcaster is also partnering with Spotify, YouTube and Deezer to allow viewers and listeners to create personal playlists of music played in its programmes.
Lord Hall described the BBC Playlister service as “is a wonderful innovation from the BBC that has been designed purely with audience needs in mind.”
The Director-General also announced a renewed focus on the Arts, including a boost to programme budgets, coverage of live events and openings and “more ambitious” coverage of “the incredible talent that this country has to offer”.
Thirty years after the BBC Micro computer helped push the take-up of home computing, Hall says the corporation will use its output to drive the take-up of coding and boost awareness of digital technology.
The BBC will offer apps, websites, games, computer code, robotics and digital at aimed at giving people the skills “to solve problems, tell stories and build new businesses in the digital world.”
To deliver this ambitious goal, the corporation will partner both the public and private sector and organisations both in the UK and abroad.
Ralph Rivera, BBC Director of Future Media, said: “The BBC has played a hugely important role inspiring a generation of digital and technology leaders in the past, but now it’s time to reignite that creativity.
“Digital skills are absolutely fundamental in the modern world, and we’re in a unique position to help people develop them and provide a safe online playground to try them out.
“We want to transform the nation’s ability and attitude towards coding, and bring together different organisations already working in this area.”
