BBC i-player

General Discussion
1

There is talk around social media that so many people are not taking out UK TV licences that the beeb is thinking of scraping i-player and screening on YouTube instead. This is decisive so they can force people using YT to have a licence possibly

Spinning this to relevance to those living abroad, it may mean not needing a VPN to watch the BBC. That would be handy and those watching abroad won’t have a licence anyway so unrestricted unlike those intended to watch the BBC in the UK. Maybe their programs will have adverts on YT which of course the BBC would collect revenue from? Who knows?

2

Does the BBC’s charter allow them to receive advertising revenue?

3

I thought some of the channels already did. Possibly digital ones.

We would happily subscribe to watch UK channels

but iplayer and so on won’t do that.

4

A very good question that people discussing this are also asking. Will they seek to alter their charter.

5

There would still have to be geo restriction placed on viewing content, however that is done. The BBC not only has to contractually restrict access to foreign content, it’s own content is sold into other regions for broadcast, some being paid content.

6

That’s why I find it quite interesting how they are, if they are, going to achieve it. That said their content is not what it used to be and for the most part I don’t watch it anyway.

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7

Google/YT know where the device watching is based on IP address judging by the French adverts I get showered with.

8

On the odd occasion the BBC produce something I wish to see, I’ll record it on the Freesat box.

9

That’s interesting as I watch UK videos but yes interrupted by French adverts (when in France)

10

I think the pudding is being a bit over-egged, for the moment at least. It looks like they’re planning to make some content for YouTube but not necessarily replacing iPlayer. I think the anti-licence fee contingent are getting a bit ahead of themselves.

11

Setting one’s VPN to Albania solves that one.

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12

I saw the news item about this move. It’s a generational thing apparently. The BBC is losing its audience. Young people don’t watch BBC - their source of entertainment/information is YouTube.

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13

I am young again, Whoopi :joy:

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14

It’s mine too and I am 68! :smiley:

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15

And Youtube could simply refuse to carry the BBC channels, because requiring people to buy a licence to watch Youtube (you already need one to watch live Youtube content from a recognised TV company - whatever one of those is?), would cost Youtube millions of users.

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16

Surely they are talking about this now because it is a joint initiative. As I understand it, this is the BBC developing material specifically for the YouTube audience. This is not about putting their “normal” channels on there.

17

I would love a ruling on what is really live TV, umpteen re runs of programmes we already paid the licence fee for should not be “live TV".

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18

Whatever they want to put on, Youtube can refuse it, which I suspect they would, if the BBC insisted that a TV licence was needed, to watch Youtube.

Imagine how many people would stop using Youtube, if you suddenly needed a licence, to watch anything on there.

19

The BBC can’t/won’t even say what a TV company is, for licence purposes.

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20

It’s pretty well defined, is it not, as any programme you watch or record as it is being broadcast?

Unfortunately, there’s no quality or age threshold. More seriously, even repeats have a cost associated with them.

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