BBC Programme Support

By Ashok Argent-Katwala

The BBC have a great new Web site – BBC Programme Support (more info from Tom Scott of the BBC). This is especially good for Web nerds like me, but it will help make link-centric television work for Real Human Beings, too.

There are a few quirks in how things are listed right now but I'm sure they'll shake out in due course. What's great about this service is that the Beeb is committing to long-term, stable URIs for their programmes, with a single, clear link for each show, irrespective of how and when it is shown or repeated.

[Via Chris]

As we build usable, networked television gadgets this kind of service will be invaluable. I'm sure we'll pull structured data from the BBC so we know what a programme is about, but just having a common, global name for a particular show enables all sorts of wonderful things, even if we never contact the BBC's servers for more information.

This is just the sort of thing broadcasters can do to own the most popular location on the Web for their own programming. Put up globally useful information, at a permanent location.

I wonder how it will cater for different cuts of the same episode, for example when a programme has pre- and post-watershed versions. Actually, I wonder about a lot of things. I'm really looking forward to sinking my teeth into this.