Blinkx, the video search engine has announced that it has teamed up with the BBC to give blinkx users the ability to access BBC footage on the iPlayer via its search engine.

Through the partnership, BBC iPlayer programmes will be searchable and accessible via blinkx.com with a preview offered to users prior to viewing on the BBC’s iPlayer download or live streaming service.

Ashley Highfield, BBC Director of Future Media and Technology, said, “The BBC’s remit is to make its content as widely available as possible to everyone in the UK. We are therefore committed to reaching out to audiences’ wherever they are and on whatever platforms they chose to access our services. blinkx’s unique technology and vast network means BBC TV content is even more accessible and searchable to our audiences, who can watch highlights and excerpts of our shows, and then click through to watch the full programme on BBC iPlayer”.

Last week the BBC was criticised for not helping ISPs bare the brunt of the cost of serving the video.

Following the news from the BBC that during January, more than 2.2 million people watched a programme on the service, iPlayerInfo from ISP PlusNet shows that its streaming costs tripled during January, which was the first month that the iPlayer's streaming service operated.

The cost per user rose from 6.1p per month to 18.3p, which means that if PlusNet's figures are industry-wide, then the iPlayer added £1 million to ISPs' costs during January.

>> Link - Blinkx.com