Q: Do you think the BBC should charge for some iPlayer use?

  • 4%
    Yes. The current situation is unfair because of the varying quality of internet access across the UK.

  • 5%
    Yes, micro-payments are a good way of funding extra BBC content.

  • 33%
    No, the Licence Fee is already too high.

  • 26%
    No, there shouldn't even be a Licence Fee. The BBC should be commercially funded.

  • 30%
    It should stay the same as it is now.

  • 1%
    I'm not sure.

(Based on 1466 Votes)

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PC Advisor

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.

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AitchBEE

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.

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PeterY

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.

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nickcroker

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 :-)

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Matt Egan

Likes # 0

Posted January 18, 2012 at 4:22PM

My colleague David spoke to the BBC today. They didn't deny that they would ever charge for some services, but the gist of it is they'd like to at some stage get the entire BBC archive online, and don't know how they could fund that, so are discussing options:

http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/news/internet/3330996/bbc-no-plans-charge-for-iplayer/

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Covergirl

Likes # 0

Posted January 18, 2012 at 12:31PM

To paraphrase "Not The Not o'Clock News" from memory :

Well done to the BBC - another winner. The test card is worth the licence fee on its own. I would gladly sell my house and all my possessions to fund the BBC . . . .

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Covergirl

Likes # 0

Posted January 18, 2012 at 12:25PM

OMG

Wouldn't it be an awful world if the BBC funded their iPlayer with the inclusion of (screams insanely at a faceless crowd) ADVERTISING and we all had to sit through several rounds of commercials - which can't be skipped - like we currently get on the very rarely used ITV Player. (Well, rarely used in our house).

I'd prefer to pay a "micro-payment" rather than have commercials or an increase in the licence fee, but I would go without first rather than pay anything at all.

That option isn't in the choices on the survey (which appears to be badly worded quote "Do you think the BBC should charge for some iPlayer use? Yes. The current situation is unfair because of the varying quality of internet access across the UK" - shouldn't that be NO?) so I've gone for No, the Licence Fee is already too high

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AitchBEE

Likes # 0

Posted January 18, 2012 at 11:40AM

FE, as I feel very strongly that the BBC TV Licence Fee should be abolished, can I make a BLOCK vote of 1000 ticks?

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Quickbeam

Likes # 0

Posted January 18, 2012 at 8:57AM

Poll question (don't you just hate it when the options get queried!).

Isn't No, the Licence Fee is already too high. and It should stay the same as it is now. effectively the same option? Currently they are both on 26%, making it a combined 52% No, leave it alone, we've already paid for it vote.

I know, you hate me now don't you...

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carver

Likes # 0

Posted January 17, 2012 at 8:51PM

If I had to pay to use iPlayer then I just wouldn't use it, I think the fee is already high enough for the BBC without having to pay extra.

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morddwyd

Likes # 0

Posted January 17, 2012 at 8:47PM

Non-licence payers should certainly pay.

They are not just getting something for nothing, but they are also getting something I've paid for.

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CurlyWhirly

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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wiz-king

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.

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Al94

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.

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john bunyan

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.

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Joseph Kerr

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.

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sunnystaines

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.

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spuds

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.

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