Outlet for old shows couldn't compete with Netflix

The BBC Store – which sold digital downloads of old programmes – is to close down after just 18 months.

The corporation’s commercial arm, BBC Worldwide, admitted that its business model buying individual programmes had not been able to compete with streaming services such as a Netflix or Amazon Prime.

Viewers will still be able to watch purchased content until November 1, when the service will be switched off completely. Customers will get a  refund or an Amazon voucher worth 10 per cent more than the amount they spent on BBC Store.

The policy means the Store will have been an expensive flop.

A spokesman for BBC Worldwide said: ‘Since the appetite for BBC shows on VOD [video-on-demand] and other third party platforms is growing in the UK and abroad, it doesn’t make sense for us to invest further in BBC Store where demand has not been as strong as we’d hoped in a rapidly changing market.

The BBC Store had been used to release rarely-seen comedies such as The Goodies and The Real McCoy, and even offered an old episode of Dad’s Army as an animation because the original video footage was wiped.

Published: 25 May 2017