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Do you think the BBC should charge for some iPlayer use?
Likes # 0
Posted January 17, 2012 at 4:11PM
What do you think about the news that the BBC is considering charging for iPlayer use?
Have your say in our poll.
Likes # 2
Posted January 18, 2012 at 5:38PM
I think the 54% (currently) that think the licence fee is too high or should be abolished really don't appreciate how good the output of the BBC is - have they never seen any foreign television? Do they really want all TV in this country to end up at the lowest common denominator, that is ITV on a any evening you'd care to choose? You might not like all the BBC's output and no one's forcing you to watch it but are you selfish enough to deny it to others. Is there really nothing you like from the BBC TV or radio? I dare say there would be commercial backers for a David Attenborough project or series but what about all the niche projects that deserve an audience - they would never make it to the screen in a commercial world and we'd all be much poorer for that. I wonder how many of these detractors spend there days downloading music, tv and films from P2P sites and are believe everything should be free. The market and commercial world is not the answer to everything! Just look at the mess unfettered capitalism has got us into. It's not all about money! Rant over :-)
Likes # 1
Posted January 18, 2012 at 9:59PM
Has PCA started taking on ex Daily Mail journaists? The slighly misleading headlines and slanted poll questions would appear to say that they are.
Shouldn't the poll question have been 'Do you think the BBC should charge for viewing archive material on the iPlayer?' At present it tends to suggest that they are looking at charging for the current iPlayer content.
Those who believe that the BBC could fund the digitising, pay repeat fees etc for the entire BBC archive from the current License Fee must be living in cloud cuckoo land. It would be a major undertaking and cost many millions of pounds and so the answer will probably be that if they can't charge even a relatively small amount for it then it won't happen.
Likes # 0
Posted January 18, 2012 at 10:09PM
nickcrocker - you have knocked some sense into my 'blinkered viewpoint'.
Radio4 and Radio World Service are worth the licence money alone.
...but the TV output is dire, apart from 'Homes Under The Hammer' and 'University Challenge'- I usually get about 8 questions correct.
...and the incidental music on H.U.T.Hammer is music to my ears!
I can't use IPLAYER 'cos I've got dial-up and 1gb mobile broadband per month.
My TV is switched off (24/7 - 23/7)...i.e. it's on for about one hour per day.
Likes # 0
Posted January 17, 2012 at 4:41PM
Pay as you view television as been around a long time now. So I suppose charging for iPlayer will not make a great deal of difference to some users?.
Whether I would pay extra for it, is a different matter, because I very really use it, like a number of television and radio programs.
Likes # 0
Posted January 17, 2012 at 5:04PM
no, i pay for a tv licence. they overpay a lot of their staff, if they are short of cash that is where they need to look.
Likes # 0
Posted January 17, 2012 at 5:19PM
I'm not really bothered. If they do, I wont use it, but I find it hard to get excited either way.
I'm just not going to pay for every little thing anyone sees an opportunity to charge for online, even though I know servers cost money. I also have a pocket, and it has to say no to the "drip drip" effect sooner or later.
Likes # 0
Posted January 17, 2012 at 5:39PM
I agree with sunnystaines. I use a DVD recorder for time shift and the BBC should provide the iPlayer as part of the Licence, even if they have to make savings such as getting rid of BBC3 or Digital Radio (not TV) and nonsense jobs of which there are too many in the BBC.
Likes # 0
Posted January 17, 2012 at 5:56PM
Why on earth would I? Sometimes I use it if I have forgotten to set Sky + to record but I will never pay for it. Apart from anything else, even on a 23meg BT Infinity it still buffers a bit in the evening so why pay and risk imperfection when better Sky+ planning is the answer.
Likes # 0
Posted January 17, 2012 at 7:40PM
If it's been on TV then it should be free to British viewers but I would not mind them charging non-license payers.
Likes # 0
Posted January 17, 2012 at 7:47PM
I would no longer use the BBC iPlayer if I had to pay for it as I already pay for it with my TV licence.
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