BBC TV licence fee may extend to iPlayer

[julian_craster]

BBC TV licence fee may extend to iPlayer

UK Government considering licence fee changes to close loophole for those watching TV via online catch-up services

THE GUARDIAN:
BBC TV licence fee may extend to iPlayer | Media | guardian.co.uk

[faginsgirl]

I don`t suppose people would mind so much if we didn`t have to pay for some of their crap which is on BBC 3, like `How big is my a***`. If it was mainly prgramming like the standard of BBC 4, then fair enough, we have to move with the times I suppose, and it was only a matter of time beore they abolished iplayer for free.

[Moor Larkin]

The number of people in Britain who are on the internet but do not have a TV licence must be so tiny that this can be nothing to do with cash money, but rather to do with consistency of BBC policy and protecting legal rights in the longer term about who can watch the BBC's output.

I recall being staggered to find out that technically you didn't need a TV license to watch i-player in the first place. I thought it an amazing oversight by the Corporation - almost scandalously so, to be quite frank. Personaly I felt a bit peeved that I was having to pay to produce this material while somebody else could watch it all for free, but more so I was annoyed that such a bloody stupid arrangement had been allowed to be put in place.

The fact that this requires parliamentary legislation seems even more bizarre. People abroad must assume the BBC is a state-run enterprise, like Pravda or something.

[dremble wedge]

It's being driven driven by the Government rather than the BBC. As the Guardian article says:

The BBC insists no changes are needed, pointing to its own research showing that only 0.2% of households watch only catch-up television, with no live viewing, each week. A spokesman said: "We believe the current system works very efficiently and do not see a need to change its scope at present."

[Freddy]

It is a bit strange as you can watch live tv on iplayer which is what I do.

Compared to Demand 5; 4od and itvplayer, the BBC win hands down, excellent quality and very few glitches which seem to befall the others. I still pay my licence fee even though I have no tv, simply because I use/ watch or listen to all the BBC output. For me it's worth the money.

[DB7]

It is a bit strange as you can watch live tv on iplayer which is what I do.

Compared to Demand 5; 4od and itvplayer, the BBC win hands down, excellent quality and very few glitches which seem to befall the others. I still pay my licence fee even though I have no tv, simply because I use/ watch or listen to all the BBC output. For me it's worth the money.

Is it? We pay for the content (over £100m for BBC Online) and how much does the Beeb claw back? It's a laughable business model that's unsustainable.

[Steve Crook]

Is it? We pay for the content (over £100m for BBC Online)

Is that how much it costs you? It only costs me a few pennies per day

Steve

[dadsarmy]

Its disgusting,why should we pay,its bad enough they keep sending me nasty letters because i'm 2 weeks behind,yet they are willing to pay kylie minogue a whooping million to be on some new crappy singing show of which she turned down because she wanted 2.5 million and the beeb i gather were going to pay it untill it came to light and questions were raised by public.a lot of people from abroad access iplayer through proxies and a lot of british do the same watching american tv channels.Tell me how are they going to suss out who is who while watching iplayer.

[Bernardo]

I am happy to pay. I am sure that on iPlayer webpages there is a reminder that the content is subject to TV licensing. If you want your TV free then you will really get the imagined crap....or worse SKY!

[Freddy]

Is that how much it costs you? It only costs me a few pennies per day

Steve

Less than three pound a week, or the cost of a pint of Guiness.

This week Wallander was delayed on iplayer, you simply went to BBC help and there was a note saying they were aware of the situation and were dealing with it. Other stations would have simply kept you in the dark. Tonight watching itv player, the connection was lost and refreshing the page meant having to put up with adverts again before returning to the main programme, tiresome to say the least.

[CaptainWaggett]

Less than three pound a week, or the cost of a pint of Guiness.

This week Wallander was delayed on iplayer, you simply went to BBC help and there was a note saying they were aware of the situation and were dealing with it. Other stations would have simply kept you in the dark. Tonight watching itv player, the connection was lost and refreshing the page meant having to put up with adverts again before returning to the main programme, tiresome to say the least.

Or about 25% less than a pint round my way Even if all I got from the iPlayer was the ability to catch up on Radio 4's excellent daytime output, I'd think it worth the license fee But as for not paying the license fee - should BBC staff work for free?

[Bernardo]

Or about 25% less than a pint round my way Even if all I got from the iPlayer was the ability to catch up on Radio 4's excellent daytime output, I'd think it worth the license fee But as for not paying the license fee - should BBC staff work for free?

Include 4 extra then that is so true. Access to those two channels on demand, for me, is a delightful retreat in the dark evenings.

[Moor Larkin]

It might pay to emigrate.......

Mark Thompson, the BBC’s director general, has revealed that the international version of the BBC’s popular iPlayer service, will cost less than $10 (£6.13) a month, which works out at around £73 a year, compared to the annual licence fee which currently stands at £145.50
BBC global iPlayer subscription will be cheaper than licence fee - Telegraph

Knob and Head comes to mind................

[Steve Crook]

Include 4 extra then that is so true. Access to those two channels on demand, for me, is a delightful retreat in the dark evenings.

Don't forget BBC4 as well. That and Radio 4 make up the vast majority of my viewing and listening these days

Steve

[Steve Crook]

Or about 25% less than a pint round my way Even if all I got from the iPlayer was the ability to catch up on Radio 4's excellent daytime output, I'd think it worth the license fee But as for not paying the license fee - should BBC staff work for free?

That's an advantage to mainly working from home. I have Radio 4 on all the time while I'm working

Mind you, that leads to some interesting comments when I'm on a conference call with a major corporate client and the "Tum-ti-tum" of the lunchtime repeat of The Archers starts up
But all of our clients soon learn that I'm a bit eccentric

Steve

[CaptainWaggett]

That's an advantage to mainly working from home. I have Radio 4 on all the time while I'm working

Mind you, that leads to some interesting comments when I'm on a conference call with a major corporate client and the "Tum-ti-tum" of the lunchtime repeat of The Archers starts up
But all of our clients soon learn that I'm a bit eccentric

Steve

What is eccentric about listening to The Archers?

[Steve Crook]

What is eccentric about listening to The Archers?

Some of those strange "normal" people I deal with around the world think it's eccentric. But that just helps confirm their opinion of me

A soap opera on the radio? With every episode only 15 minutes long? Just about people living in an English village?

Steve

[CaptainWaggett]

Some of those strange "normal" people I deal with around the world think it's eccentric. But that just helps confirm their opinion of me

A soap opera on the radio? With every episode only 15 minutes long? Just about people living in an English village?

Steve

See, in a proper job like what I have, the eccentrics are the people who don't listen to it

[Steve Crook]

See, in a proper job like what I have, the eccentrics are the people who don't listen to it

Mine is a strange job, but I enjoy it and it pays the rent and pays for my cinematic related hobbies. I've been doing it for 25 years now, with the one company, so we must be doing something that people like

Steve