[Closed] iPlayer licence required september?

Linked to the IP address assigned to your internet connection, not difficult to do really.

Lol yes that's really going to happen isn't it.

It's no less enforceable than the current licence is.

I heard about this a week or so back. Can't say I'm surprised, the whole concept of "broadcast TV" is shifting away in favour of other technologies. When our kids have grown up, the idea of having to watch something when it's aired will be as backwards as having three channels and choosing between black & white and colour is to us today. Whilst I'm all in favour of funding the Beeb, their licensing model is increasingly unsustainable.

It's an utter non law. I understand why they are doing it, but until you need a username and password it's utterly pointless.
Your TV is connected to an aerial you can get procecuted I believe. Not really applicable if your laptop is connected to the internet.

Linked to the IP address assigned to your internet connection, not difficult to do really.

😀
Gonna link it to my sim card whilst they're at it.

Your TV is connected to an aerial you can get procecuted I believe.

You believe incorrectly.

The licence fee is a bargain and worth it for the test card alone! I would gladly sell everything I own, and re-mortgage my house to help the BBC.

Brant, that's an age related quotation. (More depressingly I recognised it and how old it is). The yoot will need to search that one out. AMEX?

Yes this is real. What I haven't seen is whether you have to have a oucence to watch catch up (not at present)

Absolutely trivial for them to require you to type in a licence reference number before iPlayer works. They could then check that is only being used at one IP address and is a current licence. Mobile a bit more complicated but I am sure they can work something out. My TV licence is online and linked to an email address so easy to use that email address as verification for example

@sandwich indeed I was wondering if Brandt was really old enoigh to have seen the original 😉 ... see how far you can get with that

so "need" really means "supposed to have" rather than "will need to log in using the licence number"

Linked to the IP address assigned to your internet connection, not difficult to do really.

will continue to watch via ssh tunnel thru a VPS in London (although I only do catchup). For live BBC I'm only stealing the radiation that the satellite aims at my house.

Yes this is real. What I haven't seen is whether you have to have a oucence to watch catch up (not at present)

My understanding is that the licence around TV isn't changing (ie, you need a licence to watch any TV channels as broadcast, or recordings you make of such). The only change is to iPlayer, which you will need a licence to use at all, including catch-up. Or to put it another way, the iPlayer service is now a Brucie Bonus when you buy a TV licence.

So we only need to obey laws that can be easily enforced? That's good to know.

I watch almost zero live TV - and none at my own house - but pay the licence. There are somethings which are just worth it.

so "need" really means "supposed to have" rather than "will need to log in using the licence number"

Presumably.

It's difficult to police, for sure. ISPs could hypothetically provide them with the details of households using iPlayer, tracked by IPs (aside from those masking their connection, but they're a very large minority). Even if your IP changes "every time you connect" your ISP will have a record. There's a number of problems with this though, not least being that ISPs are highly likely to resist such requests very strongly, and it'd require a national compliance to work (so basically, legislation). TL;DR, it's not going to happen.

A password to log in would be a much more practical solution. Tie it to your licence and limit concurrent connections or registered devices; that's ostensibly what Sky Go does, so it's certainly technically viable.

I'd pay the license fee just for Radio 4, 5, 6 and the World Service. They should just introduce a log in for iPlayer based on your license number and a password. It's not hard.

I watch almost zero live TV - and none at my own house - but pay the licence. There are somethings which are just worth it.

Totally agreed. I find the wish by so many perfectly affluent folk to weasel out of funding the BBC an odd one. Granted, I don't think the current funding model works very well any more but it's still a brilliant thing that the UK should remain proud to have. I find 80-90%+ of it's output not for me but that still leaves way more than I could possibly consume, especially in an on demand digital era.

Yeah for the movie co's going to ISPs with an IP addy that was suspected of torrenting is one thing, but for BBC to go to every ISP with every IP is basically suspecting every user of iplayer of being a criminal. Not going to happen.

Login account perhaps. Might happen, might not.

Germany did it the easy way. Ditch licence, and effectively make it an extra charge on the council tax, which funds various tv/radio stations both national and regional. If you don't watch telly, or catchup, (especially if one of those that's smug about it) then that's your problem.

Anything that stops parasitic middle class spongers with an over developed sense of entitlement is fine by me.

Could I suggest public floggings for those who refuse to comply?
We could use a 26" inner tube, just to make it even more humiliating.

Or you could develop a system where those who want to use the BBC can pay for it - you know, like every other TV channel/service.

And for the record I do pay the TV licence but watch very little, if any, BBC either live or on line.

Just can't be arsed to go through the rigmarole involved in opting out of extortion amounting to £3 per week.

nickjb - Member
So we only need to obey laws that can be easily enforced? That's good to know.

Pretty much, laws only really work through mass compliance. The tv license one isn't one i'm particularly inclined to comply with. 😆

oldtalent - Member
It's an utter non law. I understand why they are doing it, but until you need a username and password it's utterly pointless.

Which is exactly how the prototype, BBC Redux, worked for employees. Or ex-employees that hadn't had their email addresses deleted even years after they left (*cough* not me)

I could definitely see the BBC's model turning into something like Netflix or Prime.

Germany did it the easy way. Ditch licence, and effectively make it an extra charge on the council tax, which funds various tv/radio stations both national and regional

Idem for France. Its worth the money for Fip alone...

It's amazing that in a world where people will pay 50quid for ad laden sky or subscribe to Netflix and Amazon that funding the BBC seems suck a hardship. Keeping the arms length distance that the license fee keeps it from general taxation and government is important. Then again it does seem most people would happily pirate everything...

ads for iplayer users without a P?

nope - they'd just log P users out every few days and get upset when you pointed out how much of a problem it was... 😉

it's just a change in the legislation / associated regulations and is the pre-cursor to blocking overseas use of iPlayer without payment of fees.. which will ultimately enable the BBC to build an additional revenue stream to fund more innovative high quality programming such as Bargain Hunt / Homes under the Hammer / Tramps go ballroom dancing etc.

mikewsmith - Member
It's amazing that in a world where people will pay 50quid for ad laden sky or subscribe to Netflix and Amazon that funding the BBC seems suck a hardship.

Then again it does seem most people would happily pirate everything...

I player is blocked overseas...
The BBC also has a great business selling shows overseas. The revenue from direct to consumer sales probably won't come close to the big deals.

They have recently changed the TV Licence system in Italy. There is no longer a separate licence fee. They have just lumped it on to your electricity bill. The idea is that if you have electricity you are capable of using the services of the State Broadcaster, RAI. Half of RAI's revenue came from the licence fee, the rest from advertising.
When there was a Licence many people did not bother, partly because there was only a 50 euro fine if you were caught watching TV without a licence.
Personally, I have no problem paying the UK TV Licence fee as I hate adverts and appreciate the quality of parts of the BBC's output.

It's amazing that in a world where people will pay 50quid for ad laden sky or subscribe to Netflix and Amazon that funding the BBC seems suck a hardship

To me it's about choice.

If I choose to pay for Sky I still have to pay the BBC for the privilege.

If I buy Asda cornflakes I don't have to still pay Kelloggs.

If you buy cornflakes, you have to pay for them.

Why is it acceptable to watch BBC output and not pay for it?

You don't get the choice to exclude the BBC. I just want to watch top gear reruns on dave. I'm not watching the BBC, but am still required to give them money.

If I choose to pay for Sky I still have to pay the BBC for the privilege

If you buy cornflakes, you have to pay for them.

Why is it acceptable to watch BBC output and not pay for it?

I don't but I am expected to subsidise the people who do choose to watch the BBC as they seem unprepared to pay the full cost of their viewing and want folk like me to contribute.

I don't have a TV, and cba with i-player and the rest. If it's not interesting live... And I don't want to subsidise those who watch 16 hours a day, or whatever.

@slowoldgit you don't have to pay unless your watching live, what's your point.

Mike - the "issue" for most is that Sky/Virgin/Netflix/Amazon is a choice.
You choose the package you want at the budget you find acceptable.
BBC is not a choice.
You either pay it (to watch live tv) or get prosecuted.
IMHO there should be no license fee for those paying for Sky/Virgin/etc. Covered under the subscription cost as they are redistributing and providing you with the means to watch it.
For those that don't - you pay for Live services as thats what the act covers. Catch up free as it doesn't so quite simply remove the "live" part from the service.
[i]IF[/i] they change it then none of it is watchable without a license - period.
Quite simply lock the service/app down without a valid login.

So you want to choose not to receive /pay for it but then want it added in the bill?
I'd like to see who consumes nothing from the BBC live after the event, TV radio or Web in the course of a year.

Rusty Spanner - Member
If you buy cornflakes, you have to pay for them.

Why is it acceptable to watch BBC output and not pay for it?

Because I can, is probably the most honest reason. I could give you some other bullshit, but it'd be kidding myself on.

No - read what I wrote - not what you [b][i]think[/i][/b] I wrote Mike.
[b]IF[/b] you have Sky, etc then the fee should be part of that service - not an [b]EXTRA[/b] over and above it!

If you choose not to watch it or user it then the service should not be available to you at all.
Its not hard is it?
Netflix, Sky, et al manage it easily enough without us all being forced by law to fund it.

hammyuk - Member
You either pay it (to watch live tv) or get prosecuted.

You either pay it or ignore the letters.

The prosecuted bit is only kept for the few examples that they are willing to make.

IF you have Sky, etc then the fee should be part of that service - not an EXTRA over and above it!