4 ms·

We're sorry but this site is not accessible from the UK as it is part of our international service and is not funded by the licence fee. It is run commercia

We're sorry but this site is not accessible from the UK as it is part of our international service and is not funded by the licence fee. It is run commercially by BBC Worldwide, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the BBC, the profits made from it go back to BBC programme-makers to help fund great new BBC programmes. You can find out more about BBC Worldwide and its digital activities at www.bbcworldwide.com. Wait, what?

martin-adams 13y ago
Yep, definitely a perplexing oxymoron for us Brits.
- 3825 13y ago
  Does BBC carry advertising in the UK?
  - zolbatar 13y ago
    No, but it's paid for with essentially a tax. It's called the TV license.
    - 3825 13y ago
      I guess they are trying to keep their ad-supported and tax-supported business separate? I don't understand.
toble 13y ago
I think it's because BBC hasn't licensed the content from BBC Worldwide.
mjn 13y ago
It's part of an odd compromise with the private-sector media companies and government reached a few years ago. Within the UK, the BBC is only allowed to show content that is wholly funded by the license fee, and cannot solicit advertising or other external funding for the content. This was insisted on by the private-sector media companies, who don't want the BBC competing with them in the commercial portion of the market. Separately, the BBC overseas service is required to solicit external funding for its content, and not to cross-subsidize it with the license fee. This was insisted on by the government, which did not want license-fee revenues subsidizing international content, but still did want international content to exist as part of the UK's global cultural export/image. But due to the previous agreement this content then can't be shown in the UK, because it's commercially-funded content.
- sentenza 13y ago
  Funny enough, as a continental European, I am not allowed to pay for streaming access to the great programs (programmes?) produced by the BBC. Ridiculousness of the same sort is happening with the publicly financed broadcasts over here in Germany. Somehow, almost every EU country manages to completely mess up the transition of its publicly financed broadcasts into the internet age, always because of some nonsense regarding the private competition. I hope the EU gets going with the single market for audiovisual content, fixing this once and for all.

martin-adams 13y ago

Yep, definitely a perplexing oxymoron for us Brits.

3825 13y ago
Does BBC carry advertising in the UK?
- zolbatar 13y ago
  No, but it's paid for with essentially a tax. It's called the TV license.
  - 3825 13y ago
    I guess they are trying to keep their ad-supported and tax-supported business separate? I don't understand.

toble 13y ago

I think it's because BBC hasn't licensed the content from BBC Worldwide.

mjn 13y ago

It's part of an odd compromise with the private-sector media companies and government reached a few years ago. Within the UK, the BBC is only allowed to show content that is wholly funded by the license fee, and cannot solicit advertising or other external funding for the content. This was insisted on by the private-sector media companies, who don't want the BBC competing with them in the commercial portion of the market. Separately, the BBC overseas service is required to solicit external funding for its content, and not to cross-subsidize it with the license fee. This was insisted on by the government, which did not want license-fee revenues subsidizing international content, but still did want international content to exist as part of the UK's global cultural export/image. But due to the previous agreement this content then can't be shown in the UK, because it's commercially-funded content.

sentenza 13y ago
Funny enough, as a continental European, I am not allowed to pay for streaming access to the great programs (programmes?) produced by the BBC. Ridiculousness of the same sort is happening with the publicly financed broadcasts over here in Germany. Somehow, almost every EU country manages to completely mess up the transition of its publicly financed broadcasts into the internet age, always because of some nonsense regarding the private competition. I hope the EU gets going with the single market for audiovisual content, fixing this once and for all.