Beeb flogs Doctor Who episodes via Facebook

BBC Worldwide has begun offering episodes of the Corporation's hugely popular Doctor Who as rental options via Facebook.

"As we have grown internationally, we've seen through our Facebook channel that fans who are loving the new series are asking for a guide into our rich Doctor Who back catalogue," said the Beeb's commercial arm boss John Smith.

"Our approach to Facebook and other leading edge platforms is to be right there alongside them in fostering innovation."

The episodes on offer span the decades since the show's release on terrestrial British TV from the 1960s onwards.

Auntie said the nine stories containing several episodes each, including Tomb of the Cyberman and Silence in the Library, would be streamed through Facebook for users of the dominant social network in Europe, the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

Rented episodes will be available for 48 hours, it said. Users pay to view the show via Facebook credits, which the BBC described as "a familiar and consistent payment experience, and a trusted space to store payment information".

Those credits can be bought from within any game, or via the payments tab available in an individual's account settings on Facebook.

However, in order for users to access the content, they need to turn off the HTTPS protocol that allows secure browsing first. ®