BBC causes concern by jumping on iPhone app bandwagon

The BBC has caused some consternation amongst other news providers by announcing that it intends to offer a news and sport iPhone application from April this year.

And it's not just about the iPhone - the BBC has said that apps are being developed for Google's Android platform as well as BlackBerry handsets, because of consumer interest in using 'sophisticated handheld devices' to access content.

However, the announcement of these free apps has not been welcomed by all - especially those looking to market news content. Some news organisations do already offer free apps, but others, such as the Guardian, are selling their applications; and for them, the BBC's move into the applications market represents another undercut.

News is a competitive market, with many providers struggling to find an appropriate business model for the newer formats; and Emily Bell, director of digital content at the Guardian made it clear that the BBC's move was not popular with them. "Whilst the BBC's impulse to enter an already crowded news and sport apps market place is understandable, the move belies the fundamentally competitive nature of the Corporation's approach to new services," she said, adding: "Applications are a long way away from being 'broadcast' media, and, unlike the web, they form a market which the BBC is seeking to disrupt."

The BBC, however, maintains that it is simply providing users with digital content they have already paid for, in a way which suits them.