This could be the shape of things to come for media companies. The BBC has hooked up with Microsoft to “to explore ways of developing its digital services.”

You can understand why an organisation like the BBC is trying to tap into development work at the software giant.

As BBC boss Mark Thompson says in the BBC press release: “We are currently witnessing unprecedented rates of change in technology and audience expectations.”

“To ensure that the BBC is able to embrace the creative challenges of the digital future, we need to forge strategic partnerships with technology companies and distributors for the benefit of licence payers.”

The agreement does not commit the BBC to using Microsoft products such as Windows Media but it does send a strong signal that this is where the broadcast organisation is heading. Windows Media is already been used in the trials of the BBC’s iPlayer, which would let you download and watch shows on your computer. Well, on your PC as it is incompatible with Macs or machines running Linux.

With this comes Microsoft’s vision of Digital Rights Management – in other words, locking up content and limiting what you can do with media. And what about license fees to Microsoft for using its software?

This agreement raises many questions which the BBC, as a publicly funded body, needs to answer. Top of the list is whether this approach is in the best interest of licence payers? I have my doubts.