Category: bbc.co.uk
Date: 05.05.2005
Printable version
Please note. bbc.co.uk/broadband has being decommissioned (March 2007).
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91Èȱ¬ New Media has made its first independent commission: engaging design
consultancy, Graphico, to redesign bbc.co.uk/broadband
in an effort to showcase the increasing amount of broadband audio-visual
material available from the broadcaster.
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The commission follows a competitive tender resulting
in a short-list of five companies.
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The 91Èȱ¬ chose Graphico because of its understanding
of the broadband audience and its experience in the field.
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Angel Gambino, Controller of Business Development and
Emerging Platforms, says: "Broadband is no longer an emerging platform.
User take-up shows that broadband has already emerged and it is fast
outstripping narrowband.
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"We wanted to develop a site that acknowledged
the increasing maturity and sophistication of the medium, as well as
showcasing the wealth of 91Èȱ¬ content that is already available.
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"The shortlist provided a very competitive field,
but our 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."
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Graphico will be tasked with repositioning the 91Èȱ¬'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 91Èȱ¬ 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.
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The single broadband url will make it easier to promote
all of our broadband services on-air.
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For the first time, material that is also available
for mobile phones will be marked with a special symbol.
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In addition to 91Èȱ¬ content, the site will link to external
sites that the 91Èȱ¬ considers to be editorially relevant, while third-party
business partners will have access to a special extranet with improved
access to 91Èȱ¬ feeds, promotional material for editors and details about
upcoming broadband commissions.
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The extranet will also supply real time data on audience
consumption of 91Èȱ¬ broadband content, designed to help third parties
better understand these users.
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Alex Weller, Creative Partner at Graphico New Media
Limited, comments: "This is a really exciting opportunity for us to
help shape the rapid convergence of today's broadcast and online platforms."
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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.
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"The challenge is to make sure we create an interface
which can deliver the enormous breadth and depth of 91Èȱ¬ broadband-worthy
content within a visually engaging and user-friendly environment," she
explains.
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Graphico is expected to deliver the new-look site in
May and the site should go live at the beginning of June.
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The 91Èȱ¬ has also relaunched bbc.co.uk/mobile
to provide mobile users with clearer navigation and an easy way to find
91Èȱ¬ content available for mobile phones.
