Many European residents who have access to an Apple iPad will soon be able to watch UK favourites such as Doctor Who following the announcement that the BBC is set to launch its international iPlayer for use with iPad tablets. The service is set to be made available later on this year in Western Europe in the form of an iPad app to which users can subscribe for a low monthly fee.
It is thought that those wishing to subscribe to the service will pay somewhere in the region of £6 per month for access to a wide range of programmes covering a variety of genres. All of the content will be in English, and it could really appeal to Brits who might be living and working abroad in Europe but don’t want to miss out on their favourite shows.
The international version of BBC iPlayer is set to be different to the British one in that it will not be a facility that allows users to only watch recent programmes that they have missed as part of a catch-up TV service. Jana Bennett, the former BBC Vision director who now works at BBC Worldwide, said that there was far more freedom with the global iPlayer framework, which means that there will be more flexibility over the programming that goes on there and how it is presented.
The way in which the iPlayer service will be designed will most likely mean that some well-known BBC programmes such as EastEnders will not be available on the service, but instead there will be a wide collection of different programming that will cover a range of genres such as comedy, history, and music. It seems that the Beeb is intent on dominating the world with its iPlayer service, as the Western Europe pilot – if successful – could lead to a USA rollout, although no details have been confirmed as yet.
Crazy decision to cap the programming. I am sure that most people downloading at the moment (from share sites) are downloading the key programmes like EastEnders etc. This is surely the market that they want to attract.
I would happily pay £6 a month for this service (Living currently in Thailand) , just to watch a few of the latest episodes of current TV, rather than Thai soap opera!
Also limited to ipad? What about those sane people that are using Android Tablets….or dare I say it…..even laptops!
I live in Portugal and can receive all BBC programmes on the Freesat satellite service. In Western Europe I suspect many thousands of expats also receive the BBC on Freesat as I do.
I was cheered by the notice some weeks ago on the BBC website that the iPlayer would soon be launched Internationally and gave my email address so that I could be notified of the launch.
I was hoping it would be on the www so that anyone with a pc could use it and I would be interested in it for the catch up service on programmes that I have missed and wish fo nothing more. If that`s not the deal then no thanks.
Sadly I am Beginning to see this as yet another vehicle for the endless repeats of some of the tripe they broadcast, rather than its original purpose.
GOOD
Lets get this right the BBC want me and other British TV Licence payer to subsidise
their projects oversea.
While I lose the 606 forum because the bbc cannot afford to keep this internet service running for me,even with me paying £145 a year. They are looking for ways to provide a cheap internet service to people overseas.
The Licence Fee is constant and so should the access be to the programs that it pays for. Instead of the world service and other none British projects the BBC should be forced to meet the demands of those legally accountable to it
If they cannot support the bandwidth for the services that I and many others used such as 606 then they should never be allowed to reallocate it for those not paying the full £145 a year.
No Eastenders….no 10 a month from me
What I want is to be able to access IPlayer on my laptop when I am abroad. I don’t need it at home, have PV,R but do miss my faviourite programmmes when travelling. I am a UK licence player. Why can’t I access IPlayer from Europe?
we have been waiting in USA since middle of last year for this app to be launched. then they made a news release in February to tempt us yet again. Now we find out that Europe is first and it ” might be released” in USA. Also, its only going to be repeats, basically the freeview DAVE and G.O.L.D. channels. Who is doing the thinking here. British expats love to keep in touch with home and Americans love anything British and the BBC is a great conduit for that, but the iPlayer launch keeps being procrastinated over and over-thought. The BBC America channel used to be decent but its now all about Top Gear only plus a few hollywood movies and old American tv series of all things. meanwhile, the US Public Broadcast channels are putting out some classic BBC and ITV series such as Jane Austen mini-series, something that the BBC should be broadcasting. Can the BBC just get on with it please, maybe for a trial period to test popularity and then charge whatever.
Ironically, the *only* reason I was looking forward to the international launch of the IPlayer app, was to watch EastEnders…
This is ridiculous. I’m more than willing to pay the full cost of the license fee to have a fully functional iPlayer in the States, but I’m not purchasing an Apple device to do so; I’m certainly not paying only to have to download “Top Gear” and “Doctor Who” regardless. I understand that there are licensing issues, but for pity’s sake, people, get it sorted!
Most expats who want to watch British TV have a satellite dish. Their reasons for wanting to catch up with programmes are precisely the same as domestic viewers of i-player. So it seems a bit odd to offer a different “package” to them. The standard i-Player would be welcomed I am sure by those who because of time zone differences don’t want to stay up until the small hours to watch a favourite TV offering.
Currently I understand that there are ways and means of accessing programmes via the internet, some more dodgy than others. By charging a competitive fee, the BBC could actually make some money out of this. But their proposed offering is too expensive and in competition (legally or otherwise) with others.
This system used to be called BBC Prime, then BB Entertainment, now Iplayer. BBC Prime failed because of the programming available and the endless repeats, so did BBC Entertainment. Sadly, the BBC is always two steps behind in its business acumen and this new venture is as doomed to fail for the lack of choice it offers.
I was excited and willing to pay for this service if and when it gets launched in the US, however, now hearing that EastEnders will not likely be available on the International iPlayer, I’m not even going to bother. This is rubbish!!! They’re just going to force people to continue to illegally download BBC content by not making it available to the International audiences. I’m sure EE and Anglophile fans overseas would gladly pay $10 or even more a month to be able to watch the current BBC programming. Dumb move on their part!
Good- BBC iPlayer International
BAD – As a License fee payer, not being able to use internationally the same as at home…
I do seem to recall, when iPlayer was a Beta, and they hadnt tied down the Geography that they used to get you to enter your License Number ….. now theres an idea they could bring back !
BBC iPlayer International not carrying flagship shows such as Eastenders … pointless ….. ExPats want this service to keep in touch and up to date , Business travellers want to use it from their Hotel Rooms. BBC Entertainment really doesnt serve its purpose unless the only show the BBC is good for is ‘The Weakest Link’ or two year old episodes of Dr.Who. Eastenders is even MONTHS behind ….
I was really looking forward to iplayer on the continent. I live in Holland and travel quite a lot. BBC has great drama series I would like to see when I have a chance. I get bbc1 and 2 through my cable provider in Holland and so I can tape if I take the trouble. It is disappointing to hear the service will be limited. I would not pay for that, only a full service! Also why only on iPad? Thousands of computer owners dont have an I pad!
Why an iPad app only? How bizarre. Why not available on every computer, laptop, tablet etc. I connect my MacBook to the TV to watch streaming shows, and that’s what I would like to use iPlayer for. Can it not just be like the UK version? I am in the US.
I pay 20 euros a month extra to my cable server in France just to get BBC world and Entertainment,( which is okay, but always a week and a half late on Eastenders and years out of date on other programmes. I’ve already bought the DVD sets by the time they diffuse on Entertainment! Unfortunately the BBC don’t do box sets of the Immagination series. I’d love to be able to download that sort of programme, and I’d be willing to pay for the service.
Is there a legal download, pay as you go service from the bbc? like for films and music?
I have paid for one month’s subscription for iplayer abroad. However, will not again, since Eastenders will not be available
I cant even find the app where is it
Patsy
I paid for the year assuming Eastenders would be available. What a mistake. They should have made this clear. Why did they have a picture of eastenders in the app info. I think they should have stated this in the app information – very disappointed.
Dear BBC, great idea, almost! It’s reasonable and acceptable to pay to see BBC programmes, right now most of Europe can do that via satellite or by using some ‘interesting’ programmes that make iPlayer visible and usable anywhere in the World. Why on earth would you restrict it to Apple, and not what 95% of us have got, a PC, and why restrict the programmes when we can see them anyway. We value the quality of BBC programming (mostly) its world class, and would be happy to pay the equivalent of a licence fee, that’s fair enough. But to ask us to pay for a restricted service, when we can get it all for free seems hardly a good argument to get us to support the quality of programmes you put out. Get your marketing people (if you have any) to look at this again, given a good argument you could get revenue from us.
I love the Iplayer but have just realised this is restricted to the Ipad. I live abroad and the natural thing would be to use a mac book and cable to play some programmes on the TV. This does not appear to be possible which is very restrictive. Why limit the device to see the programmes abroad….
Phew that was lucky. I was seconds away from signing up to this and then noticed that Eastenders isn’t on it!?
Not great for us expats living in Oz. Might spend the cash on a proxy server instead and pick up the UK iplayer directly.