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BBC confirms when you’ll have to start paying to watch BBC iPlayer

By Euro Weekly News Media • Published: 12 Aug 2016 • 9:00

BBC iPLAYER: As from September 1, will no longer be a free service.

IF you watch BBC iPlayer, you’re going to have to start paying the BBC licence fee, even if you don’t enjoy scheduled broadcasting or even own a TV. The Beeb announced earlier in the year that it was planning to close the iPlayer licence fee loophole – which meant you could watch on-demand content without forking over cash as long as you didn’t watch shows that were being aired live.

But now, the corporation has announced when the new rules will come into effect. Sadly, you’ve not got long left to enjoy on-demand delights such as The Secret Agent, The Musketeers or Robot Wars without paying for them, as the new licence fee laws will be brought into action on September 1. 

This means that iPlayer-enjoying households will now have to pay the same £145 yearly charge as traditional TV watchers, with the Beeb claiming that closing the loophole will generate more than £150 million a year. It doesn’t matter what device you enjoy iPlayer on. Whether it’s smartphone, tablet or console, the cost will still be the same. “As of September 1 2016, a change in the law means you need to be covered by a TV licence to download or watch BBC programmes on demand – including catch-up TV – on BBC iPlayer,” a TV Licence spokesperson told The Guardian. “This applies to all devices. The change will not affect the huge majority of households which are already licensed.” Surprisingly, although iPlayer enjoyers will be lighter of pocket starting next month, those exclusively watching catch-up content from on-demand services such as ITV Hub, All 4, Demand 5 and Netflix will still be exempt from the licence fee – whoo.

If you would like me to answer any questions you may have on satellite TV or to expand on anything I have written about please call me on 678 332 815 or email richard@eu ropa-digital.com. I look forward to your comments and questions. Don’t forget to listen to my radio show every weekday from 10am on Spectrum 96.1 & 106.8FM, now covering almost 3000sq km of Costa Almeria and Calida or listen online at costaalmeria.spectrumfm.net for the latest news and views from the world of satellite television.

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Comments

    • Sean Dobson

      22 August 2016 • 23:50

      All those outside the UK who are currently watching the BBC illegally as they do not have a T.V. licence,this means all you expats in Spain,the Canary and Balearic Islands,Holland,Greece,France,Malta and many other countries should be next on the target list and the BBC should block any signal from being received outside the UK by encrypting or scrambling the signals,as Richard or the UK T.V.Licensing Authorities will confirm,the offence for which people are convicted of and now and then imprisoned for is not for watching the BBC without a licence but for watching or recording ANY LIVE UK T.V.programme without a valid T.V. licence,an offence that all expats who watch any UK T.V. channel are guilty of,no matter who you pay to receive UK T.V.programmes,if your payment is not to the UK T.V.Licensing Authorities,then you are watching UK T.V. illegally,which is not intended to be viewed outside the UK anyway.
      The UK authorities should make concentrated efforts to make sure by any means available that UK T.V.can not be viewed outside the UK,you chose to leave the UK for whatever reason and no longer have a legal right to watch UK T.V.

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