Watching Iplayer outside the UK

[splashscuba]

I've seen, on and off, various people who live outside the UK on these boards express the desire to watch Iplayer. Here's a useful link which explains how you can

http://tinyurl.com/psmpdwx

[Maeght]

Watching abroad breaches the terms and conditions of iPlayer and also the intelectual property rights of program makers. It is a service which if funded by the British licence payer and is not intended to be watched elsewhere.

[Rhiannon]

I don't think it matters much if someone is a license payer and happens to be abroad for a bit.

Otherwise it seems BBC Worldwide are missing a trick - they should set up a paid-for streaming service.

[jeremyp]

I don't think it matters much if someone is a license payer and happens to be abroad for a bit.

The real problem is not that people abroad don't pay a licence fee but that the BBC does not have the rights to broadcast the content abroad, even to licence fee payers.

Otherwise it seems BBC Worldwide are missing a trick - they should set up a paid-for streaming service.

It would have to pay the content producers for a worldwide licence for that which would cost them money in one of two ways

• if the BBC is buying in the content, they would have to pay significantly more for it, because ordinarily, the content maker would hope to sell the content in other countries themselves.
• if the BBC made the content, they would be unable to sell it to other broadcasters.  Doctor Who, for instance, is a money spinner that is sold in a lot of foreign countries.  Why would foreign broadcasters buy it if they were competing with the BBC's own live streaming service?

[splashscuba]

Watching abroad breaches the terms and conditions of iPlayer and also the intelectual property rights of program makers. It is a service which if funded by the British licence payer and is not intended to be watched elsewhere.

Yep, all that.

[Rhiannon]

I don't think it matters much if someone is a license payer and happens to be abroad for a bit.

The real problem is not that people abroad don't pay a licence fee but that the BBC does not have the rights to broadcast the content abroad, even to licence fee payers.

Otherwise it seems BBC Worldwide are missing a trick - they should set up a paid-for streaming service.

It would have to pay the content producers for a worldwide licence for that which would cost them money in one of two ways

• if the BBC is buying in the content, they would have to pay significantly more for it, because ordinarily, the content maker would hope to sell the content in other countries themselves.
• if the BBC made the content, they would be unable to sell it to other broadcasters.  Doctor Who, for instance, is a money spinner that is sold in a lot of foreign countries.  Why would foreign broadcasters buy it if they were competing with the BBC's own live streaming service?

So who does own programmes commissioned by the Beeb? Sriram might want to watch Horizon - are we saying its wrong if he did?

[Hope]

Sriram might want to watch Horizon - are we saying its wrong if he did?

Certainly in the past, BBC World would often rebroadcast the programme the same week - on one or two ocasions I know of, they broadcast it before it was broadcast here in the UK.

[Maeght]

Rules on copyright, licensing etc are there to protect the rights of the people who make the programs and do the work. They should be respected or else the whole system breaks down and programs won't be made.

[jeremyp]

So who does own programmes commissioned by the Beeb?

Good question, it probably varies on a programme by programme basis.  Even where the BBC does own the rights, there is a good reason why they would not want to start a world wide streaming service as I stated above.

Sriram might want to watch Horizon - are we saying its wrong if he did?

I'm saying it is a breach of copyright.  Whether it is wrong is another matter. 

[Rhiannon]

Yet they allow stuff like Sherlock to be streamed - not series 3 yet though.

Back in the day I used to record stuff off the TV onto video - I guess that was nothing compared to the minefield the new technologies have opened up.

[Harrowby Hall]

I'm back in England now.

My French home is supposed to be out of the footprint of thr Astra satellites used for UK broadcasts, but except for when the weather is poor I can get a good HD signal.

When I have tried to get iPlayer, I have had to use a VPN (virtual personal network - a service in which my computer appears to be in Basingstoke or Scunthorpe or somewhere). BBC engineers have been assiduous at finding these and terminating their service. I did hear talk of UK licence payers being allowed to use some code when in Europe which would enable them to receive iPlayer services.

A few years ago, IIRC, the European Court allowed UK pubs to screen Greek satellite broadcasts of football matches to which Sky had UK rights. It may be that EU law may have something to say about this.

Incidentally, if you are watching a UK broadcast in another country, you are doing nothing wrong. It is the broadcaster's responsibility to prevent you from watching. You are under no obligation not to watch.