BBC has recently launched its pilot service called “Open News Archive” - a free library of video footage. The clips are available for immediate download in three formats: Quicktime, Windows Media, and MPEG1.
All videos are under the “Creative Archive Licence” and as such cannot be used commercially but I bet a lot of people will find uses for it that are well withing the license. For example, I could use the Prince Charles - Camilla wedding footage to illustrate my HD for wedding videography post. Or, make a presentation of how Final Cut Pro works on the new Apple Powermac Quad.
If you want to use the videos as part of a commercial video project, you’ll have to get a different license from the BBC and also pay a license fee.
The pilot site is located here - make sure to bookmark it as the BBC definitely has plans for beefing it up with a LOT more footage. Who knows maybe when you come back in a month or two it will offer torrents as well!
Update: Ashley Highfield, BBC Director for New Media, said that he’s determined to “oversee the end of broadcast media as we know it.” It’s interesting to see how the BBC will do versus more traditional media.
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