BBC America Heads to iTunes

Longtime readers of this site know my love for all things BBC America, so I was over the moon when I learned that the digital cabler has signed a deal with Apple's iTunes to begin selling full episodes for purchase and download through the iTunes Store here in the US.

Customers looking for a Brit fix can now purchase single episodes and complete seasons of such BBC America series as Robin Hood, Torchwood, and Little Britain through the iTunes Store, with new episodes of Robin Hood, which launched its second season this past weekend, available for purchase 24 hours after their linear broadcast.

Episodes will be priced, like their US counterparts, at $1.99 a pop.

“BBC is delighted to provide U.S. audiences with the unique ability to purchase and download select award-winning BBC America programming on the iTunes Store,” said Beth Clearfield, Vice President of Digital Media and Business Development, BBC Worldwide America, in a prepared statment. “As the first U.K. broadcaster available in the U.S., BBC is leveraging its trusted international brand in entertainment to provide our audiences with a first-rate digital experience.”

While the offerings are limited to those three series at the moment, I am confident that BBC America will continue to add programming to the iTunes Store as it becomes available and hopefully within 24 hours of broadcast. And, though I've already downloaded a few episodes of Little Britain to my iPod, I'm hoping that the digital cabler will add upcoming series like Gavin & Stacey, current series like Last Restaurant Standing, or classic series like Spaced to the mix.