Will users want to access location-specific information while watching mobile TV shows on the fly? The BBC thinks so and hinted at its future plans to add location to programming during a speech at the FT Mobile Media conference, Silicon.com reports. Ashley Highfield, BBC director of future media, said he could imagine inserting location tags in programs such as Springwatch (a popular show for nature enthusiasts and birdwatchers). “You could say ‘show me all sightings of the greater spotted plover within five miles of where I am now’.” This location-centric communication could also be two-way, with users accessing the BBC website on their mobile to add a location tag if they see a particular bird themselves. (And this is hardly far-fetched. Birdwatchers are a tight-knit and local community and would no doubt jump at the chance to simultaneously live out their passions on mobile and in the real world…

Another item high on the BBC radar is preparing for the coming “boom” in mobile services not that “a number of factors are coming into alignment for explosive growth.” These include better pricing, the introduction of GPS and the slow and steady demise of operators’ walled garden portals.

In line with the increased focus on mobile the BBC has appointed Matthew Postgate as the BBC’s controller of mobile, Mobile Entertainment reports. In this position Postgate will report to Highfield and be responsible for coordinating the BBC’s public service presence across mobile platforms. He will also assist in implementing the company’s multi-platform strategy.