Short answers, pulled from the story.
The BBC launched its first online presence in April 1994 with a simple website offering regional information and content from the Open University Production Centre. By September of that same year, the corporation introduced its first commercial service, a transcription system accessible via FTP server that eventually supported 122 accounts including FBI bureaus worldwide.
Official launch of BBC Online occurred on the 28th of April 1997 following crucial government sanction allowing it to operate as an independent service funded by public money. Director General John Birt later sought government approval to channel licence fee revenue into these expanding digital services describing them as the third medium joining existing television and radio networks.
Industry competitors argued that BBC Online offered services available elsewhere creating unnecessary competition requiring the corporation to prioritize news current affairs education and information valuable to citizens. Commercial rivals complained repeatedly about market distortion leading to public consultations throughout the late nineteen nineties and early two thousands.
Budget cuts announced on the 24th of January 2011 resulted in closing multiple platforms including BBC Blast BBC Switch 6-0-6 Video Nation and plans to sell Douglas Adams created site h2g2. The £34 million shortfall forced the BBC to automate many programme websites alongside shutting down services dedicated to teenagers between ages thirteen and nineteen.
BBC iPlayer launched in December 2007 allowing users to stream or download radio and television content for up to seven days using peer-to-peer technology and digital rights management systems. Initial broadcasts relied heavily on RealAudio and RealVideo formats controlled by RealNetworks drawing criticism until negotiations produced a cut-down version of their player with reduced advertising.