News - International iPlayer app to cost under $10 a month

[HEXUS]

Global version will ‘definitely’ launch this year, says Beeb.

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[pauldarkside]

So I'm paying £145.50/year to watch pretty much the same content that someone overseas only has to pay £73.56/year (or less) for? Thanks Auntie

[jim]

he reportedly said the international iPlayer iPad app will let subscribers access old BBC programmes

If that's true, then no.

[tickedon]

So I'm paying £145.50/year to watch pretty much the same content that someone overseas only has to pay £73.56/year (or less) for? Thanks Auntie

I think it really depends what content exactly they are going to make available - I imagine they also wouldn't want to ruin their existing agreements to export UK shows (e.g. Top Gear), so they'll probably be quite selective. I doubt they'd be making things like news etc... available (mainly because it's not relevant!) but that to me and other journalism is why I like the BBC.

[Funkstar]

iPlayer is not the same as having a TV so it should be cheaper.

[this_is_gav]

I doubt things like live sport (or delayed 'live' sport or highlights) would be available either.

You'll get many of the BBC's own programmes, but certainly not all.

[pauldarkside]

@Funkstar True enough, however for the amount of BBC content I've watched over the past year, it might as well be. I reckon I've not even broken 48 hours in total; a bit of live news, a couple of documentaries and some Top Gear. Up to me to look for alternatives I suppose.

Edit: My main gripe was that international viewers will have the option of a BBC Lite version, if you will, yet because I'm in the UK, my only option is to pay for the full licence. To me it's not really worth it.

[miniyazz]

iPlayer is not the same as having a TV so it should be cheaper.

It's different. You can watch live TV with it with the added benefit of having a month's history of old programmes to watch on demand. But no freeview unless you get a tuner or a TV.

[MonkeyL]

@Funkstar True enough, however for the amount of BBC content I've watched over the past year, it might as well be. I reckon I've not even broken 48 hours in total; a bit of live news, a couple of documentaries and some Top Gear. Up to me to look for alternatives I suppose.

Edit: My main gripe was that international viewers will have the option of a BBC Lite version, if you will, yet because I'm in the UK, my only option is to pay for the full licence. To me it's not really worth it.

Isn't it, how much would 48 hours of material cost from say iTunes?

Personally, I probably watch about 5 or 6 hours of BBC output a week, but it's nearly always stuff no other channel would even consider doing. For me, considering how much such content would cost if I were to have to subscribe to a service, the license fee is exceptional value for money when you also include the news service, website, iPlayer and everything else the BBC does.

[Mblaster]

So I'm paying £145.50/year to watch pretty much the same content that someone overseas only has to pay £73.56/year (or less) for? Thanks Auntie

That's what I thought when I first saw the headline, but looks like they won't be getting live streaming of the BBC channels, only the catch up, and probably not including sports. Currently UK residents can use the iPlayer catch up for free (only the live streaming on the iPlayer requires a TV licence, see here).

So basically, they're getting what UK residents get for free, for $10 per month.

[jim]

Edit: My main gripe was that international viewers will have the option of a BBC Lite version, if you will, yet because I'm in the UK, my only option is to pay for the full licence. To me it's not really worth it.

As above, "BBC Lite" is no TV license at all.

[malakai5]

i would personally like to see 'our' license fee frozen or decreased in the next few years. Becasue if they're (the beeb) making revenue from it, then I don't see why we should be fronting the bill for content that has now become international directly from our national broadcaster.

I mean if an american studio/broadcaster like CBS or Fox did the same where we could access there content for a fee i definately would. But at the moment it's only third party companies that are making that kind of content accessible to us, not the studio/broadcaster.

[mark22]

i would personally like to see 'our' license fee frozen or decreased in the next few years. Becasue if they're (the beeb) making revenue from it, then I don't see why we should be fronting the bill for content that has now become international directly from our national broadcaster.

I mean if an american studio/broadcaster like CBS or Fox did the same where we could access there content for a fee i definately would. But at the moment it's only third party companies that are making that kind of content accessible to us, not the studio/broadcaster.

I think everyone should stop paying for the Guardian/BBC, who's gonna enforce we pay for that bias rubbish now?

[this_is_gav]

I maintain that in the not-too-distant future, we'll all be paying subscriptions for TV content. No-one will bother watching adverts when we've all got PVRs, so revenue for the commercial channels will eventually plummet.

How the BBC would work, I've no idea, but I like the idea of paying a quid to watch an F1 race or a football match, while not having to fund Eastenders or a host of TV and radio channels and shows I've no interest in - for instance I really only listen to the sport on 5Live, and switch off the moment a political show comes on.

The only negative I can see is that it might stifle creativity (though it may boost smaller, independent studios) and how those funds would filter down to those studios.

When internet TV takes off and starts to phase out over-the-air TV, this ought to be the way forward... though it will undoubtedly be DRM heaven.

[crossy]

I maintain that in the not-too-distant future, we'll all be paying subscriptions for TV content. No-one will bother watching adverts when we've all got PVRs, so revenue for the commercial channels will eventually plummet.

Hmm, isn't the current license fee effectively a mandatory subscription to be able to receive the BBC channels (plus the other ones that the license fee goes towards - like S4C). I also remember reading that there's been repeated attempts to deliver a PVR that could edit out ad's but, for some reason, the US channels were less than impressed - I wonder why?
That said, that's one feature I miss from my old Pioneer DVR - that had an advert skip button which I liked very much

How the BBC would work, I've no idea, but I like the idea of paying a quid to watch an F1 race or a football match, while not having to fund Eastenders or a host of TV and radio channels and shows I've no interest in - for instance I really only listen to the sport on 5Live, and switch off the moment a political show comes on.

Wouldn't work - if it did then we'd have a lot more of those pay-per-view events. And my missus likes Eastenders so we'd end up paying for that. I think my BBC viewing is limited to Top Gear, Breakfast and the odd local news bulletin or fact program - these days I watch Five a lot more. And as to Radio - Money Box and the comedy@12:30 on Radio 4 of a Saturday, along with Huey Morgan's sunday program on 6 and that's it - and those three radio programmes I usually grab via iPlayer and get_iplayer and listen to through the week.

The only negative I can see is that it might stifle creativity (though it may boost smaller, independent studios) and how those funds would filter down to those studios.

Yep, that's a common complaint - that we'll have less Horizon's etc and more of those brainless celebrities-doing-song-and-dance-on-ice shows. Or that the BBC News would end up looking like Sky News or, worse still, Fox "News".

When internet TV takes off and starts to phase out over-the-air TV, this ought to be the way forward... though it will undoubtedly be DRM heaven.

Agree on the DRM - anyone not running iOS or Windows can look away now I guess. That said, I wonder why there aren't more "proper" Internet-only-delivered channels - especially with the easy availability of suitable devices, even ignoring iPad et al there's the current slew of internet-enabled TV's.

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

So I'm paying £145.50/year to watch pretty much the same content that someone overseas only has to pay £73.56/year (or less) for? Thanks Auntie

Ditch your TV and use iPlayer for free??