BBC told to delay smartphone apps by governing body

Paul Nesbitt

The BBC Trust has told the BBC to delay the release of its BBC News app and Sports app planned for release in April and May, respectively. The BBC used the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona to show off working versions of its new apps.

The BBC Trust said it wants to examine the impact that the proposed BBC apps, due to appear for the iPhone and then Android and BlackBerry, will have on commercial media groups.

The BBC Trust said that it had been prompted to act after it received 'representations from [the media] industry'.

The newspaper industry has been the most vocal opponent of the BBC launching news and sports apps for smartphones.

The Newspaper Publishers Association (NPA), whose membership includes the owners of all the major national newspapers in the UK claimed that the BBC's move into the apps sector would 'damage the nascent market' for apps.

If the Trust rules against the BBC launching apps, it could affect the nation's enjoyment of the World Cup. The BBC sports app is designed to offger content from the BBC Sport website, 5 Live radio, and enable fans to watch World Cup matches live on their smartphone.