3 ms·

BBC iPlayer: Viewers now need TV licence to watch catch-up

4 points by mafro 10y ago

intoverflow2 10y ago
How long till we need one for an internet connection in case we happen to watch BBC content elsewhere online.
- celticninja 10y ago
  Unlikely to happen but seriously why the fuss over the licence fee, it's approx 40p per day for a number of radio and TV stations without advertising. You can pay £50 per month for sky and still get ads or £10 for Spotify with no ads but only music access. The licence fee is cheap compared to what you get for it.
  - UK-AL 10y ago
    The problem is choice. You can choose to buy those things. You can't with the BBC. 150 GBP is quite a lot when you only earn minimum wage. It quite a few books/dvds you could have brought instead of watching tv.
    - celticninja 10y ago
      It is but you could also obtain those books and dvd's from the library. Now you don't like every book or dvd in the library but that's OK because they have such good coverage that there are books and dvd's that will be something there for you and also for everyone else.
  - chriswarbo 10y ago
    While I'm a big fan of the BBC, I have absolutely no interest in most of those radio and TV stations. Their news service is great, and they have some reasonable factual/documentary programmes, mostly on BBC 4 and Radio 4. Unfortunately more effort seems to be put into singing, baking, dancing and fiction :(
    - celticninja 10y ago
      The point of the BBC is to not only provide for the lowest common denominator bit to provide airtime for things that would not otherwise be made. There is probably little commercial value in playing the music that BBC 6 music plays or for the Archers on radio 4, but because of the licence fee they can make these without having to worry about the commercial success of it. Whereas a radio version of ITV would make it and cancel it after 1 series when the ratings were too low to bother continuing. Yes BBC prime time is too concerned with reality type TV but if they were putting out something that was more niche in these time slots they would also come in for some flak. At least they can counter it with decent ratings showing that people are watching what they produce. In addition BBC World Service is a fantastic service and something that does not have a commercial comparison, it will never exist without the license fee and is of huge international value.

4 points by mafro 10y ago

intoverflow2 10y ago

How long till we need one for an internet connection in case we happen to watch BBC content elsewhere online.

celticninja 10y ago
Unlikely to happen but seriously why the fuss over the licence fee, it's approx 40p per day for a number of radio and TV stations without advertising. You can pay £50 per month for sky and still get ads or £10 for Spotify with no ads but only music access. The licence fee is cheap compared to what you get for it.
- UK-AL 10y ago
  The problem is choice. You can choose to buy those things. You can't with the BBC. 150 GBP is quite a lot when you only earn minimum wage. It quite a few books/dvds you could have brought instead of watching tv.
  - celticninja 10y ago
    It is but you could also obtain those books and dvd's from the library. Now you don't like every book or dvd in the library but that's OK because they have such good coverage that there are books and dvd's that will be something there for you and also for everyone else.
- chriswarbo 10y ago
  While I'm a big fan of the BBC, I have absolutely no interest in most of those radio and TV stations. Their news service is great, and they have some reasonable factual/documentary programmes, mostly on BBC 4 and Radio 4. Unfortunately more effort seems to be put into singing, baking, dancing and fiction :(
  - celticninja 10y ago
    The point of the BBC is to not only provide for the lowest common denominator bit to provide airtime for things that would not otherwise be made. There is probably little commercial value in playing the music that BBC 6 music plays or for the Archers on radio 4, but because of the licence fee they can make these without having to worry about the commercial success of it. Whereas a radio version of ITV would make it and cancel it after 1 series when the ratings were too low to bother continuing. Yes BBC prime time is too concerned with reality type TV but if they were putting out something that was more niche in these time slots they would also come in for some flak. At least they can counter it with decent ratings showing that people are watching what they produce. In addition BBC World Service is a fantastic service and something that does not have a commercial comparison, it will never exist without the license fee and is of huge international value.