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." Bizarrely UK users i

"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." Bizarrely UK users ie. those who have to pay for the BBC have to use a cloak to access this content. At least the charter is up this year. Hopefully all the BBC will be 'not funded by the license fee' soon.

learnstats2 11y ago
This is due to the journalism lobby, i.e. Rupert Murdoch, insisting that the commercial and profit-making arm of the BBC should not be allowed to compete with UK business.
- dazc 11y ago
  "It is run commercially by BBC Worldwide, the profits made from it go back to BBC programme-makers to help fund great new BBC programmes." So the not great, old programmes are funded through the licence fee?
  - learnstats2 11y ago
    Oh, I don't fully defend the BBC. It's terrible that they have a profit-making focus. Great, niche programs such as Open University have made way for the same commercial stuff that every other television network already provides.
teacup50 11y ago
If you want to see what things will be like if they're "not funded by the license fee", look at America's media. Appreciate any form of actual journalism while you have it.
- dazc 11y ago
  BBC's standards of journalism are going much the same way I'm afraid.
pascalmemories 11y ago
One BBC UK version is http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-radio-and-tv-15384480 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-radio-and-tv-15384480 but that is not the same content but looks like the same device. The nonsense is that it is trivial to bypass such location filtering. Don't hold your breath on the BBC losing that license fee anytime soon - there is too much money being made off it by all sorts of companies [not just the BBC]. Despite having long left the UK, their sub-contracted enforcement company still send me reminders to my old UK address every few weeks and tell me they're coming to visit me to check my TV equipment and that they'll take me to court when they catch me ! They've spent hundreds of pounds more than the license fee sending those letters and having people visit to be told I don't live there any longer. They still turn up every 2 months or so. They've had years to update their records but never do.
kaybe 11y ago
On a sidenote, why do they have a cheaper licence for black-and-white tv (£49 vs £145.50 for colour)? Does anyone use that?

learnstats2 11y ago

This is due to the journalism lobby, i.e. Rupert Murdoch, insisting that the commercial and profit-making arm of the BBC should not be allowed to compete with UK business.

dazc 11y ago
"It is run commercially by BBC Worldwide, the profits made from it go back to BBC programme-makers to help fund great new BBC programmes." So the not great, old programmes are funded through the licence fee?
- learnstats2 11y ago
  Oh, I don't fully defend the BBC. It's terrible that they have a profit-making focus. Great, niche programs such as Open University have made way for the same commercial stuff that every other television network already provides.

teacup50 11y ago

If you want to see what things will be like if they're "not funded by the license fee", look at America's media. Appreciate any form of actual journalism while you have it.

dazc 11y ago
BBC's standards of journalism are going much the same way I'm afraid.

pascalmemories 11y ago

One BBC UK version is http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-radio-and-tv-15384480 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-radio-and-tv-15384480 but that is not the same content but looks like the same device. The nonsense is that it is trivial to bypass such location filtering. Don't hold your breath on the BBC losing that license fee anytime soon - there is too much money being made off it by all sorts of companies [not just the BBC]. Despite having long left the UK, their sub-contracted enforcement company still send me reminders to my old UK address every few weeks and tell me they're coming to visit me to check my TV equipment and that they'll take me to court when they catch me ! They've spent hundreds of pounds more than the license fee sending those letters and having people visit to be told I don't live there any longer. They still turn up every 2 months or so. They've had years to update their records but never do.

kaybe 11y ago

On a sidenote, why do they have a cheaper licence for black-and-white tv (£49 vs £145.50 for colour)? Does anyone use that?