Orange pips rivals in BBC TV deal

Little Britain is among the TV shows being offered to Orange subscribers

Mobile operator Orange has struck a deal with the BBC to offer ring-tones and film clips from TV shows such as The Office, Little Britain and Doctor Who.

The deal was forged between France Telecom, owner of Orange, and BBC Worldwide, the broadcaster's commercial section.

Under the agreement users will be able to purchase videos, ring-tones and photos from today.

Customers subscribing to Orange World will pay £3.50 for a 'real-tone' taken from one of the BBC shows, £2.50 for a 'wallpaper' image, and 75p to £1 for a video clip.

The move follows hot on the heels of similar deals over the past year, as mobile phone companies attempt to build 3G network traffic, and content providers try to get onto new media platforms such as mobiles and the internet.

"More and more, BBC Worldwide is looking to move towards non-traditional broadcasting vehicles, and this partnership with Orange is a testimony to that, " said Jason Blain, director of business development at BBC Worldwide.

Other recent deals include BSkyB's agreement to offer content on Vodafone's network, soon to be expanded to other mobile networks.

Orange also has an agreement to offer TV content from Bravo, CNN and other channels.