MUMBAI: BBC’s new media division in the UK has engaged design consultancy firm Graphico to redesign the site bbc.co.uk/broadband. The aim is to showcase the increasing amount of broadband audio-visual material available from the broadcaster.     
            
      

The deal follows a competitive tender resulting in a short-list of five companies. The BBC chose Graphico because of its understanding of the broadband audience and its experience in the field. The BBC states that broadband is no longer an emerging platform. User take-up shows that broadband has already emerged and it is fast outstripping narrowband. The BBC wanted to develop a site that acknowledged the increasing maturity and sophistication of the medium, as well as showcasing the wealth of BBC content that is already available.

While the shortlist provided a very competitive field the BBC’s editorial, technical and business development team believe that Graphico were the best team on the day to partner us in helping to drive Broadband Britain. Graphico will reposition the BBC’s broadband site, moving it away from a ‘how to access broadband’, and towards highlighting to users the benefits of the broadband experience, as well as a showcasing BBC audio and video material for those with a high-speed connection.

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To that end, the new site will include tabbed links to those content areas of bbc.co.uk with broadband material. Users will be able to search bbc.co.uk for broadband content by genre or channel, as well as by clips, video blogs and those pieces of material rated by users. The single broadband url will make it easier to promote all of our broadband services on-air. For the first time, material that is also available for mobile phones will be marked with a special symbol. In addition to BBC content, the site will link to external sites that the BBC considers to be editorially relevant, while third-party business partners will have access to a special extranet with improved access to BBC feeds, promotional material for editors and details about upcoming broadband commissions.

The extranet will also supply real time data on audience consumption of BBC broadband content, designed to help third parties better understand these users. Graphico account director Michelle Mitchell and her team will ensure that the new site is flexible enough to integrate seamlessly with the existing content infrastructure. The challenge for Graphico is to make sure that it will be able to create an interface which can deliver the enormous breadth and depth of BBC broadband-worthy content within a visually engaging and user-friendly environment. Graphico is expected to deliver the new-look site in May and the site should go live at the beginning of next month.

The BBC has also relaunched bbc.co.uk/mobile to provide mobile users with clearer navigation and an easy way to find BBC content available for mobile phones.

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