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BBC looks to video-search site Blinkx to boost iPlayer

This article is more than 16 years old

The creators of video search engine Blinkx are in talks with the BBC about a deal to supply it with technology for the corporation's iPlayer, which allows viewers to download programmes over the internet. The BBC wants the company to provide it with a search facility that will enable users of the service to find programmes quickly and easily.

The BBC already makes current shows available free of charge and they had been streamed or downloaded more than 17 million times via its iPlayer broadband TV service since Christmas Day, according to figures from the corporation in February. The BBC is now in the process of archiving millions of hours of material, which will also be accessible online.

Finding video footage on the internet is far more complicated than the text-based searches pioneered by internet giants Google and Yahoo, because search engines have to process far more information to find the appropriate clip or programme. Blinkx specialises in video searches, and the BBC hopes it can help it to crack the problem and create a valuable product that will be used by licence-payers and businesses.

Blinkx was founded by former executives at Cambridge-based software company Autonomy, which merged its consumer arm with Blinkx and floated it on Aim last May, retaining a 10 per cent stake in the business.

Blinkx claims to have indexed more than 18 million hours of audio, video, viral and TV content, and made it fully searchable and available on demand. It has signed a series of deals with media companies that allow users to access video footage. Its shares were valued at 15p at Thursday's close, putting a price of just under £44m on the company.

· The article above was corrected on Sunday March 30 2008. We incorrectly valued Blinkx's shares at £15 each 'at Thursday's close'. They actually closed at 15p each. This has been changed.

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