The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has renegotiated its terms with PACT, a UK trade organisation that represents the commercial interests of independent feature film, TV, and animation companies.

This means that it is legally able to go ahead with its Peer to Peer based iPlayer service due to be launched later this year, which will see programs only owned partly by the BBC shown on its service straight after they have been broadcast, and up to seven days later.

It is likely to mean that other companies can share the same terms, such as British Telecom, which wants to offer a similar service over a broadband line, in its BT Vision service.

The new deal is the first to be struck on new media rights by Pact and any major UK broadcaster and has been achieved within the 31 May deadline for agreement set by regulator Ofcom as part of its TV Production Sector Review.

Pact negotiates terms of trade with all public service broadcasters in the UK and helps out in negotiations with cable and satellite channels.

Previously, the window of opportunity for viewing broadcast works over the internet was too small, put in place to protect DVD and other later service revenues.

Copyright © 2006, Faultline

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