back to article Beeb creates new global iPlayer post

The Worldwide wing of the BBC has hired Mark Smith as its global iPlayer launch director, in its latest attempt to get its video-on-demand service off the ground outside the UK. That plan is scheduled for next year, but it needs approval first. So Smith’s job is presumably to push for approval of the overseas extension. The …

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  1. John A Blackley

    Confused

    "its latest attempt to get its video-on-demand service off the ground outside the UK"

    I'm under the impression that the BBC currently uses the law as an excuse to not allow 'foreign' ip addresses access to its excellent iPlayer.

    If it is to make 'another' (when was the first one?) attempt to get its service off the ground outside the uk, why not just allow foreign ip addresses access to the current iPlayer?

    1. Cameron Colley

      Perhaps they're going pay-per-view.

      Or maybe they're looking to market "a solution" to the Cable and terrestrial providers in various countries?

      Sadly I don't think they will just open the website up, as is, to visitors from anywhere.

    2. Uk_Gadget

      The title is required, and must contain letters and/or digits.

      BBC content outside the UK can be part funded by advertising. Think this is the main issue.

    3. Jimmy Floyd
      Coffee/keyboard

      The licence fee

      Umm, 'cos they haven't paid for it?!?

      "...uses the law as an excuse " - that's a cracking comment. My colleagues are currently trying to work out whether you mean that it's reasonable to use the law as an excuse not to steal, rape or murder.

      Or not.

    4. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Well...

      I would hope that they intend to arrange some sort of recompense for the content as opposed to giving away what the UK TV license fees pay for...

    5. Anonymous Coward
      Unhappy

      Indeed

      We watch iPlayer from Belgium all the time. It's not like it is difficult to circomvent, that idiotic IP-check. But I so agree, just open it up for all of us BBC. We're all in the EU no? You know, free border-crossing of people, and services?? Or is that just for attracting cheap labour?

      1. MonkeyBot

        Re: Indeed

        "just open it up for all of us BBC. We're all in the EU no?"

        If everyone in the EU is going to buy a UK TV licence, I'm sure Aunty Beeb would be happy to do that.

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          License Fee

          is for the privilege of being able to operate a television receiver. In the UK the money goes to the BBC.

          You can watch other eu programs, without paying the host nation a tv license fee.

          Also see

          http://europa.eu/legislation_summaries/audiovisual_and_media/l24101_en.htm

          and

          http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/policy/ecomm/current/index_en.htm

        2. DJ Wickerman
          Thumb Up

          Next Step Profit

          The BBC in the UK is a non-profit organization and is not allowed to charge for any of its services, that's where BBC Worldwide come in.

          He has been hired by BBC Worldwide which is a separate entity from the BBC that we know and love. BBC Worldwide is the commercial arm of the BBC, its a business which is expected to make money, it sells the BBC's content overseas and all BBC merchandise such as DVD's. BBC Worldwide does not fall under the same rules as BBC UK.

          I expect BBC Worldwide will take iPlayer into countries and charge people for use.

          BBC Worldwide is profitable and some of that profit makes its way back into the BBC which in turn helps keep the TV license fee from increasing.

    6. xj25vm

      Re: Confused

      I can only assume that the whole thing is about creating a new platform based on the current iPlayer - capable of charging for content, managing accounts, taking payments etc. Also, I assume that there will be new negotations involving copyright holders for various programmes, as the target audience would be larger/different. It seems that there might also be advertising involved in broadcasting to an international audience - and that will require its own delivery platform as well.

      Just taking some guesses here.

    7. jonathanb Silver badge

      Re: Confused

      The legal issue is that they have only paid for the UK rights to the programes, or for shows like Top Gear which they make themselves, they have sold the foreign rights to other companies.

      What I guess they plan to do is to buy foreign rights to programes, then raise money through adverts / subscriptions to pay for them and hopefully make a profit which will help to offset the budget cuts about to be imposed by the government.

  2. STurtle
    WTF?

    Why would they want that?

    We moved to Germany, and now my kids watch the same BBC children's programmes dubbed to German and interlaced with ads. I doubt the BBC can sell those at the same price if they were available through the iPlayer.!

    However, last night, when my song spotted a children's yoghurt in our fridge that he had not seen before and spontaneously started to sing the corresponding ad's song, I instantly decided to purchase the expensive 120cm satellite dish necessary to receive Cbeebies in Germany as soon as possible (our UK-Tele has an HD-Freesat receiver built-in anyway) . It might also help our kids to retain the ability to speak English. So yes, I would willingly pay quite a bit to use the iPlayer outside the UK (using a Proxy works but is cumbersome) - but would that be enough to compensate the losses in selling to other broadcasters all over the world?

  3. Anonymous Coward
    FAIL

    what its needs is...

    a secure login with your licence details and then you can access from abroad... of course, this will be major league open to abuse, other thing is just to junk DRM since it does work anyway.

    Fail, since i dont know :D

    1. Robert E A Harvey

      Or payment

      I'd be quite happy to buy remote access, as when I am out of the country my wife is still at home getting value for the TV licence.

  4. McBread
    Joke

    Canvas

    They've also now published the first draft of the Canvas tech specs. When can we expect your impartial technical analysis?

    http://www.projectcanvas.info/index.cfm/technology/technical-documents/

  5. Graham Bartlett

    @JAB

    I suspect the one word answer is "money". Outside the UK you need some way of making sure that it's going to someone who's paid for it. I'd be very surprised if the current iPlayer had any hooks for checking that. And this doesn't just mean DRM-ing the stream - you also need the whole integrated package of servers to sell you rights, passworded download-starting, accountant-friendly billing systems, etc..

  6. indicator

    its the money

    because outside of the UK the BBC can charge for its content and include adverts.

    i think this is a great idea as it means more money for the BBC and less money on the TV licence. Its a win-win situation i think.

  7. Anonymous Coward
    Linux

    iPlayer technology

    It'll be interesting as to how they are going to get iPlayer to scale to millions of simultaneous viewers. They used to use a peer-to-peer araigment but seem to have dropped that in the upgrades.

    http://strix.org.uk/posts/The-BBC-iPlayer

  8. Anonymous Coward
    FAIL

    They've already mentioned overseas users

    A year or so ago they floated the idea of pay-per-programme download for overseas viewers. A sum of around 15 quid was mentioned.

    As that is the price of a DVD of an entire BBC series in Aus I'm not sure float is the correct word to use (unless in the context of a turd).

  9. georgeclooneylookalike
    Grenade

    Boring Banal Content

    I am really glad I don't pay a licence fee to enable the socialist propaganda machine to make money selling Eastenders to the rest of the world.

    My BBC?... not since 1997. The BBC is funded by an unfair illegal tax and is supposed to provide "public service" broadcasts. It used to do that up until a few years ago until it decided it would be a good idea to go head-to-head with ITV and make programmes with B list celebrities making idiots of themselves learning to cook/dance etc.

    I watch what I feel is worth my time and effort on the iPlayer and I don't contribute a penny towards it. No such thing as a free lunch?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Grenade

      I can only assume you live in the UK...

      ...and have never seen what passes for television in the colonies.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      FAIL

      dailymail.co.uk is more your sort of thing

      Get your coat lad. You're not welcome around here.

      Or am I speaking to Mr Murdoch himself? Dennis Potter was right, you know.

  10. JB
    Thumb Up

    I'd pay...

    I'm an ex pat in the USA and I'd willingly pay for Iplayer - it beats the endless loop of Dr Who>Top Gear>Dr Who>Top Gear>Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares>ad nauseam on BBC America!

  11. JaitcH
    Unhappy

    BBC living in another world

    The BBC seems not to understand that there is a new government in town and that their mantra is Cut, Cut, Cut.

    Given that the BBC is, in a fashion, a government entity, why is it not following along instead of creating all these high-fallutin' positions with multiple layers of bureaucratic desk jockeys and applying a higher percentage of the budget to the technology part of their business.

    Possibly the government should introduce a scheme, used presently in other countries, of listing all people employed through salary or contract of payments that exceed, say, £150,000 per annum. At least the public could adjudge value for the licence fee.

  12. Efros
    Pint

    VPN *cough*

    Works wonderfully, BBC have been messing around with iPlayer all week so I suspect something is in the offing. Open it up and charge us for it. With what I pay my piss poor US cable provider for the dross it has the cheek to charge for I would happily pay the BBC for it's content..

    Oh I'd like some decent beer and the occasional curry/kebab too!

  13. 3kids2cats1dog
    Thumb Up

    We at the colonies...

    I for one would love to pay $5.00 (cdn) to the mother country so I could watch first run Doctor Who when it is aired in the UK.

  14. Adrian Esdaile
    Go

    Screw the local cable and broadcast idiots!

    I'll happily pay 5 quids to get my BBCs over the net!

    The local (Australian) cable and terrestrial providers couldn't run a bath; a (cough) legal way of circumventing our local morons would be very very welcome! Sign me up!

    The fact that we would get our Dr.Who dose real-time rather than 6 FSCKING months behind is just one of my reasons for this! Better F1 coverage (Sorry, ONE HD, but fewer ads plz)

  15. Anonymous Coward
    Thumb Up

    I assume

    That the global iPlayer will offer different programming from the one within the UK. This is because various programming on BBC UK is actually licensed from other countries (i.e PBS in the US for much of the childrens programming) and this programs are licensed to other networks in different regions of the world. Also, BBC Programming outside the UK may contain programming from channels like ITV, which adds to the confusion. Also, many BBC world programming are time delayed by months if not years. You may be already getting the 11th doctor in the UK while the Asians may still be only getting the 10th.

    I would pay for the service tho, if it means getting the doctor and Red Dwarf back.

  16. Tigra 07
    Pint

    Exporting Eastenders

    I hear we're exporting Eastenders around the world now to get us out of the recession.

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