THE COMMERCIAL ARM OF the BBC is expanding its presence in Canada by renting via Facebook episodes of its popular sci-fi series Doctor Who.
BBC Worldwide said that users may visit the show’s official page to select from nine digitally re-mastered stories, including one that was not released on DVD making it exclusive to the social media site, and pay for the rental using Facebook credits. The episodes are available for Facebook users in Canada, the US, Europe, Australia and New Zealand, and can be viewed for 48 hours once rented.
"As we have grown internationally, we’ve seen through our Facebook channel that fans who are loving the new series are asking for a guide into our rich Doctor Who back catalogue”, said BBC Worldwide chief executive John Smith, in the announcement. “Our approach to Facebook and other leading edge platforms is to be right there alongside them in fostering innovation. We see this service as a perfect way to give our fans what they want, as well as a great way for them to get their fix between now and the autumn when Series Six continues".
"Millions of people engage with their favourite TV shows on Facebook every day and we’re now seeing broadcasters look at innovative ways to use Facebook tools to connect their fans with exclusive content," said Christian Hernandez, Facebook’s director of platform partnerships.
