The BBC envisions a hybrid model of public service and commercial pay models for its digiarchive. This MOU agreement signed by the BBC and British Library seek at integrating access to nearly a million hours of BBC TV and radio content and over 150 million British Library items.

On December 11th the BBC director general Mark Thompson and Dame Lynne Brindley, chief executive of the British Library, signed a Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU) agreement in which both organisations joined forces to explore ways to create a new digital archive for content and assets from both organisations.

According to Brindley this MOU aims at creating “a model of best practice which will allow the Library to develop similar opportunities with other public institutions. Providing unparalleled access to joint information services and world-class digital archival content will truly enable the business, academic, scientific, research and creative communities to flourish."

The committee will explore various issues around distribution of archive material, such as rights management, digitisation and storage. The BBC also recently signed separate MOUs with the British Film Institute and The National Archives. These agreements are part of BBC`s goal to get as much material as possible in the archive by its 100th anniversary in 2022, although this aim could prove elusive due to the complicated rights negotiations.

The BBC intends to unlock its archives by the end of 2010, including some material from 1922. BBC Director Jana Bennett said that the archive would most likely incorporate a hybrid model of public service and commercial pay models.