We'd heard that the BBC was putting together a video download service that will allow it to better monetize its back catalog, and now it appears the company has confirmed the news. BBC News itself reports that the network's director general Mark Thompson stated that the initiative was in the works during an appearance at the Royal Television Society in London. He reiterated the previously-leaked details: the service will allow users to download content from the BBC's archives for a "relatively modest" fee, and it will not affect the free viewing window currently provided by the network's iPlayer application. "The BBC's archive programs — like Fawlty Towers and Doctor Who — already represent a significant commercial revenue stream in the form of DVDs and downloads on services like iTunes," Thompson said when discussing the initiative. "If [the BBC] is going to open up the broader archive, then it would naturally expect people to pay for access." Project Barcelona will reportedly be put before the BBC Trust — the network's governing body — for review later this year.

Thanks, d0mth0ma5!