MILLIONS of TV viewers on the Continent will soon watch BBC TV content for free (Some have been for years anyway). While British residents pay £145 a year for a licence, viewers in France, Spain and Germany will be able to see it for nothing on the “global” iPlayer, to be launched “in a few weeks”.
The BBC insists only a “very limited amount of content” will be available for free as a sample to help new users to decide whether to subscribe or not.
However, the monthly fee will be substantially less than a TV licence, probably about £6.20, according to BBC director-general Mark Thompson.
The computer download service is sponsored by Visit Britain (Shock horror, the taxpayer being screwed again) in the hope the shows will attract tourists to Britain. A BBC source called this a “perfect fit” (In other words free advertising for them .
iPlayer users will be able to download as well as stream programmes (Other countries can already access it by using a proxy server). The first version will be made available as a free “app” on Apple’s iPad. Versions for different platforms are expected to follow.
A BBC source described the content as “a mix of the contemporary and classic. You could call it a best of British”. It is expected to include Top Gear, Only Fools and Horses and Doctor Who.
The source added: “It will also be very different from the iPlayer in Britain. It won’t be a catch-up service, for example. You won’t be able to watch last week’s episode of EastEnders.”
Asked how independent producers would feel about their programmes being given away, the source said: “BBC Worldwide has already bought the rights to it, so it’s not an issue. ”