BBC Launches Experimental Digital Hub

LONDON: BBC has launched BBC Taster, a digital idea hub intended to develop new talent and content across the company’s platforms.

The initiative is set to be the new home for experimental ideas, including interactive, short-form or social content, and online features and services. The hub will debut with exclusive content from Lena Dunham and Jennifer Saunders, Simon Reeves, hip-hop duo Run the Jewels, and several major BBC brands. Additionally, the service will feature early and experimental concepts from across TV, radio and online, offering audiences something completely new to try, rate and share.

Ralph Rivera, the director of BBC Future Media, said: “Innovation has been at the heart of the BBC since the birth of radio and TV, right through to the digital age—having pioneered products and services like the BBC Micro, Ceefax, BBC iPlayer and the first truly digital Olympics in 2012. BBC Taster is the next step, bringing together our editorial and technology experts and opening the process up for audiences. This will give us valuable feedback and technical insights, helping us further develop our ideas and work on those with the greatest potential.”

Danny Cohen, the director of BBC TV, added: “We’ve always pushed the boundaries with our creative programming and innovative digital services. These two worlds are coming together and opening up new possibilities for telling stories. BBC Taster will help ensure we stay at the forefront and better serve audiences now and in the future. It’s an exciting opportunity for our world-class production teams to take more creative risks online, try their ideas out and put them in the hands of audiences.”