Reading the comments on the last story might be helpful...

"I haven't used iTunes videos, but I believe they have DRM. Why couldn't the Beeb have used that? NIH? Not MS?"

Because Apple's Fairplay system doesn't support seven day expiry of content that's required to avoid giving the BBC a multi-billion pound bill every year for extra rights. WMP DRM is the ONLY reasonably proven, finished system on the market that does, which is why the BBC used it.

Now, BBC Worldwide might well end up selling BBC programming via iTunes, but that solves the rights issue since it wouldn't be free and the rights holders can take a share of the profits. But that's a completely seperate proposition from the iPlayer.