Beeb confirms another day of free live video from the World’s

Even more pipers, drummers and enthusiasts will discover this August that the best, cheapest and, most likely, driest place to see and hear the Grade 1 World Pipe Band Championship events is from the comfort of their own home, with BBC Scotland formally confirming that the contest will once again be streamed live and free over the Internet.

The live broadcast will be the third year that the publicly funded British broadcaster will put out the event over the net, and the second in which non-UK viewers will have access.

“It’s great being able to take our coverage of this fantastic event to an international audience,” said Eileen Herlihy, head of BBC Scotland’s Entertainment and Events, in a news release. “Over the last couple of years we’ve had superb feedback and have heard that fans watching around the world will host piping parties, sometimes in the middle of the night, to watch the championships unfold on-line. I hope they all enjoy our coverage once again.”

BBC Scotland will again air a follow-up program on the World’s, once more with host Jackie Bird and colour commentator Bob Worrall. The show will go out on August 21st.

The live web streaming will be accessible as the events transpire at bbc.co.uk/worlds. Material from the contest will be archived for on-demand viewing following the contest.

In 2010 many pipers, drummers and enthusiasts around the world opted to hold “World’s parties” at locations with high-speed Internet access, big-screen display systems and surround-sound audio, rather than attend the event itself.

The 2011 World Pipe Band Championships will be held on Saturday, August 13th, at Glasgow Green, Glasgow. The city has hosted the World’s for the last 30 years, except for the 1985 competition that was held in Hamilton, Scotland. Before 1981 the event changed cities each year.