A plan by the BBC to release an iPhone app to bring its news and sport coverage to a wider group of people has stalled.
Following “representations from industry”, the BBC Trust, the corporation’s governing body, has decided to delay the release of the new iPhone apps. Publishers such as the Guardian and Sky already have their own iPhone apps offering free and paid-for news and sport on demand.
The commercial news providers say the BBC apps go beyond the remit of the corporation. According to a BBC News report, the Trust’s investigation will decide whether the apps are an extension of the BBC’s existing services or a new product. If it is the latter, the Trust will then conduct a more detailed review.
A BBC spokesperson said: “We are focused on making BBC Online’s core web propositions more user-friendly, convenient and accessible, and using existing content to create truly distinctive products around our core public service areas.”