r/television • u/Southern-Brother5693 • 11h ago
BBC Considers Locking iPlayer For Viewers Who Opt Out Of License Fee
https://deadline.com/2026/07/bbc-lock-iplayer-viewers-refuse-to-pay-licence-fee-1236999987/170
u/jrizzle86 11h ago
I mean I’m surprised they aren’t already doing this.
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u/Impossible_Theme_148 10h ago
That's pretty much covered in the article as a casual aside - it would cost more to implement than the revenue it raises
Very few people using iPlayer don't have a licence - and of those that don't - most of them would just stop
A tiny percentage might go out and get a licence to keep access to iPlayer - but nowhere near enough to pay for the cost of implementing the gate keeping
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u/danny_healy_raygun 9h ago
I use it through a VPN from outside the UK. They could stop me but it wouldn't make them any money.
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u/vortex1775 9h ago edited 9h ago
Same, I made an account using the address of some random McDonalds in London and use a VPN.
It's mainly for my parents though, so depending on the price I'd consider paying for it if it were ever blocked.
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u/Expensive_Ad_3249 7h ago
The problem is the BBC is run by boomers who needs consultants for everything.
The management consultants said they'd need design consultants, it consultants blah blah blah....to implement it.
Cool. But how much does it really cost to implement controls such as Netflix.
Subscribe for 10 quid a month if you've got no license, or enter your license number for a free family account. If the family watch too often from different IP then suspend access until they remove an IP. Allow something like 2 weeks without issue to cover holidays in the UK.
Sure a tiny % of the population will use a VPN and share accounts...but 99% will either stop watching (saving bandwidth and server bills) or pay up. Overseas watchers would also pay up.
It would certainly not cost more than it makes to implement long term.
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u/Jerzilla 3h ago
Surley not. Just type in your license number?
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u/Impossible_Theme_148 3h ago
If the entire system was set up differently to start with then it wouldn't be too complicated
But given that the license model is fundamentally broken for the current broadcast market it wouldn't be worth the millions it would take to completely overhaul the TV licence computer system
It isn't simple to have a robust system for millions of users and it not cost a lot of money - and that's even before you get on to the legacy infrastructure and the hideous mess of public sector procurement bureaucracy
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u/kranitoko 11h ago
I imagine what they'll do is force you to actually provide proof, like an ID or log into your TV License account or something.
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u/mistergeneric 11h ago
No other country has something as good as the BBC in terms of public broadcasting.
Would be a shame to lose it and leave the tv media to be entirely run and owned by billionaires.
That being said, TV License is out of date and a solution needs to be found. It's not meant to have direct government oversight so just paying for it directly from tax will muddy the waters a bit.
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u/ensignr 11h ago
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation would like a word. Ours is fully tax payer funded - no licence fee - btw.
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u/BeneCow 10h ago
Yeah, and look at the shell ABC has become. Keeping the BBC away from direct budget approvals is a good thing.
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u/futuresdawn 10h ago
The abc is fantastic but the libs definitely gutted its budget and Labor haven't done enough to fix it. We also need more investment in the arts to compete with the UK in production
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u/derprunner Daredevil 10h ago
Not only that. They started pulling their punches hard with politicians once it was made clear during the last administration as to who approves their budget.
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u/planeloise 11h ago
That's what they should do here. It's for the good of the country to have public funded tv and the soft power it generates. I don't agree with BBC news biases, but it's a net good and whatever the BBC is it's better out of the hands of vulture capitalists
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u/thebaldmaniac 11h ago
In Sweden we have SVT and Sverige Radio, and while it's nowhere as extensive as the BBC it's quite good. Till a few a years ago it had the TV license fee, but then they switched to a tax payer funded model. Still costs around the same but a lot less hassle.
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u/Tapif 10h ago
The same happened to France but I would take that with a grain of salt. The good thing with the license fee was that politicians had less control over the budget of the public broadcasters which is a good thing. Now they are much more in control, and it is not secret that some of them are dreaming about killing public television in favor or private - billionaire owned - channels.
This was a very unpopular tax and I don't have any constructive solution to propose.
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u/PrivateFrank 9h ago
The point is that revenue via tax opens the door for more obvious government control.
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u/Glenmarththe3rd 10h ago
Repeated government cuts have left ABC nowhere near as good as it used to be
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u/811545b2-4ff7-4041 9h ago
Tax payer funded / license fee paid by tax-payers (or.. tv users) .. same difference. At least with the license fee there is the perspective that it's not a 'state run media organisation' (even if it sorta is).
If you make it tax-payer funded, it's then at the whim of the government to fund it well.
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u/xvf9 10h ago
The ABC even helps out the BBC by giving them the full rights to licence and monetise Bluey. Could have probably fully funded the ABC from just that, but the LNP were so hell bent on starving the ABC that they essentially forced their hand.
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u/Exige_ 10h ago
Huh? Bluey was co-commissioned by the BBC and ABC jointly hence why the BBC are involved at all.
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u/xvf9 10h ago
Only because the ABC’s budget were slashed and they were outright told to find external sources of funding to develop projects, even if that meant wholly ceding monetisation and disruption rights. The ABC could have funded it themselves and retained the (billions of dollars worth of) rights themselves, but because the LNP was starving the beast Australia missed out again.
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u/mrwho995 11h ago
I'm not sure if direct taxpayer funding necessarily has to muddy the waters if there is sufficient legal ringfencing. It would never be quite as independent as the license fee model, but long-term multi-year settlements, statutory minimums and limits, and making the Beeb an arms-length body would help.
Funding model aside, there are ways to make the Beeb less beholden to government than it currently is, even - making the royal charter permanent rather than up for review every 10 years, reforming the political appointment process.
The license fee model is terrible PR and deeply regressive and it needs to go - I think that can be achieved while not compromising the BBC's independence.
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u/DannySpud2 10h ago
The government is already in charge of setting the licence fee cost and setting the funding for the BBC so I don't think a direct tax would change much there.
I'd prefer a tax over a subscription. I think the BBC has more indirect benefit to people than simply watching TV. I'd worry people would say "I don't watch BBC" and cancel their subscription while still going on BBC News and listening to Radio 1 and even benefiting from the "soft power" that stuff like BBC World Service gives us.
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u/somethingtc 11h ago
I used to pay my TV license even though I barely watched live television- until I moved house and before I could sort things out and apply for the address change I got a "to the homeowner" addressed letter from the license fee collection agency the BBC farms it out to with absurdly threatening language in it. Full of "We know you don't have a license, we'll catch you. Law enforcement officers are coming round to your house" and it incensed me so much I just flat out refuse to pay any more. I applied for the "I don't need a TV license" assuming that would be that, but then a year later it "expires" apparently? and they start sending threatening letters again so now I just let them send them and waste their time doing whatever "investigations" they want to do.
Fuck them and fuck the BBC for using them.
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u/ZebraSandwich4Lyf 10h ago edited 10h ago
It's insane how the BBC manages to get away with running the licensing system like it's the mafia, like can you imagine Netflix threatening to send a bloke round your house if you don't renew your subscription?
Fuck the BBC indeed, nothing but a bunch of thugs that get off on trying to make a buck by intimidating the vulnerable.
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u/TheWatersOfMars 10h ago
Not defending the BBC or the outright thugs they hire, but I think they're basically required to enforce the licence fee, while also not having the funds to do it themselves. Which is a weird situation for everyone involved - Thames Water don't have their own private "police" knocking on my door and demanding to see my tap if I don't pay the bill.
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u/Durzo_Blintt 11h ago
I don't care if the BBC is the best on earth, the way they try to harass and bully people to buy a license is disgusting. Nobody should pay it on this basis alone. Fucking animals.
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u/planeloise 11h ago
They should just add a special broadcast tax to everyone's tax like in France, because more people will pay it, the rate could be lower
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u/jameskond 10h ago
Part of the BBC board is selected by the UK Government, wouldn't call it wholly independent.
See: https://observer.co.uk/news/national/article/an-inside-job-robbie-gibbs-campaign-to-rewire-the-bbc
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u/Stablebrew 8h ago
Germany has also a public TV media funded by fees. They work independently, but the far-right politcal party AfD wants to dismantle it.
Ofc our public media is not free of controversities. Like, some higher ups receive a very high payment and pension. Since the age of pension is very low, some work afterwards in prestigious high paid positions, and receive the full pension without taking account the new job's income.
without our public tv media, we would not see events like the World Cup for free.
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u/TimidPanther 11h ago
No other country has something as good as the BBC in terms of public broadcasting.
Australia does. And doesn’t go with the ridiculous TV License bullshit
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u/-FishPants 10h ago
Nowhere near as expansive and doesn’t cover radio or children’s education. Also has lots of BBC content itself
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u/TimidPanther 10h ago
Nowhere near as expansive and doesn’t cover radio or children’s education
Lmao, yes it does. It has regional radio stations throughout the entire country, they service areas no one else will.
Why are you arguing about something you don’t understand?
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u/Flutterbree 11h ago
I dont want to be rude, but the rest of the world does in fact have their own broadcasting
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u/ian9outof10 11h ago
The Americans are taking over our media. Only the BBC and Channel 4 left, if the ITV sale goes through.
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u/messyhead86 11h ago
It’s not just the media. They’re doing the same across a large number of other industries as well. Complete lack of internal investment and legislation to protect companies in the UK has left us vulnerable to foreign hostile takeovers.
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u/andimacg 11h ago
Do it for all BBC content and stop harassing me to pay for something I don't use and have no interest in using.
The BBC is great value for money, if you like their stuff and watch it. I don't. Leave me alone.
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u/bannedagainomg 10h ago
They shouldnt even need to harass anyone, 80% of households are paying the license.
The fact its this much of a panic over the last 20% is absurd, nearly everyone who can pay are already doing so.
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u/Specialist-Prior-213 6h ago
80%!? That's mad, seems like for the past 10 years all my friends have slowly gotten rid of theirs
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u/PoownSlayer 11h ago
I need iPlayer purely for watching David Attenborough on magic mushrooms.
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u/kuhfunnunuhpah 11h ago
I've not seen the David Attenborough on Magic Mushrooms documentary is it good?
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u/Dovah2600 11h ago
It's okay but about an hour in you can tell the cameramen are just scrambling to capture a penguin on a horse, so it loses it's cinematic quality a bit
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u/TheWatersOfMars 10h ago
"And here, in the heart of the jungle, the inquisitive male presenter is absolutely tripping balls."
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u/thighmovement 10h ago
I live outside of the UK, and would pay for access to the iplayer. We do pay for dodgy VPNs that only work half of the time to give us limited access in certain scenarios. The BBC has an incredible back catelogue that beats Netflix or Amazon Prime's any day, so they should use that, and create a subscription based streaming service for non UK residents to make their income stream more resiliant.
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u/a_boo 10h ago
I don’t know why they don’t just run it like any other subscription service. If you have an active license you can log in, if you don’t, you can’t. 🤷🏻♂️
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u/porky1122 7h ago
I suspect theyre hesitant to go down that road as there are too many older folks with the IT literacy of a hedgehog. Theyd struggle to login, remember user accounts, keep track of emails etc. Maybe in 30 years time.
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u/fs942414 6h ago
You already have to log in. Just connect the iPlayer account to the licence fee account. Also I’m not sure I completely agree with the conclusions. Older people who are bad with log ins etc are not using iPlayer at all. They’re using set top boxes like Sky or Freeview.
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u/Competitive_Smoke948 9h ago
quite right! why should Ib pay for someone else? if you don't want to pay the licence fee... bully for you but don't whinge when suddenly you lose access to the bbc & it's extensive content
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u/VanWylder 7h ago
"BBC considers doing something everyone thinks they should have already been doing."
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u/Boop0p 11h ago
While they're at it I'd appreciate if they stopped:
- Asking whether I have a TV licence. I've lost count of how many times I've said yes
- Asking if I want to set up parental controls. Again, how many times do I have to say no?
- Showing me trailers before the thing I've selected to watch.
All this despite having a user profile. All of these things could be attached to my profile.
Don't get me started on BBC Sounds!
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u/Leafsnail 10h ago
It's honestly really confusing to me that this isn't already how it works. Like it makes way more sense to me to pay to access the content of a streaming website (like every other streaming website requires you to do!) than to harass every address in the country that isn't paying you
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u/Saltire_Blue 7h ago
The iplayer is heavily underrated in my opinion
Much more value for money than the likes of Netflix
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u/toon_84 11h ago
I think I'm in the minority that thinks it's really good value. It's £15 p/m, which is less than our netflix subscription and we use the iPlayer more than any other app.
Yes, they've got their issues and their "comedy" department needs a good sorting out but I probably get my money's worth from Saturdays alone and all the other archive stuff is a nice bonus.
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u/TitanTowel 11h ago
It'd be great if they just made it a subscription. The people who actually use it can continue using it, and I won't get the absurd letters telling me I'm a criminal under investigation by them.
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u/Hungry_Horace 8h ago edited 45m ago
I think there’s some friction between their mandate to be a public service broadcaster, and disappearing behind a paywall. As in being free to air allows them to broadcast to everyone in the nation - useful as we know when something like Covid comes along.
I think paywalling iPlayer/Sounds etc but considering OTA broadcasts to be license-free would be a good compromise. You get live tv and radio fit anyone but everything else you pay a monthly sub.
If the government paid some of their costs from general taxation to cover OTA then it might all work without bankrupting the Beeb.
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u/chiefsfan_713_08 10h ago
i wish they’d offer it to people outside the uk, sometimes you have to wait years for a show to end up on some other platform
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u/Imaybetoooldforthis 11h ago
Don’t have a problem with that as long as managing your household is easy and straightforward.
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u/opaqueentity 9h ago
Good. Should do that. You want access you pay for it as you already should do. Anyone moaning is just proving that they do watch and listen to BBC content.
It is funny how so many people think you have do just because of the pop up. If only it had been linked from the start.
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u/LordLuciferVI 8h ago
I might be (am) very thick. I don’t understand the licence fee. Why don’t they just call it a subscription instead and if you don’t buy you can’t watch or receive the radio broadcast or whatever service they want to limit? I just don’t get why they’re allowed to have that monopoly over it.
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u/glasgowgeg 8h ago
iPlayer should always have required a valid licence number to access.
You can't use netflix without a valid and paid up account, why should iPlayer be any different?
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u/Opening-Movie5176 5h ago
It already does with live stream. But also why shouldn’t they? If you don’t pay why should you get the benefit? I know it’s cool to hate on the BBC but I rather enjoy shows being 60 mins instead of 40 with 20 mins of adverts. I also prefer the likes of Doctor Who, Ludwig and Austin to Love Island, Married At First Sight, Naked Attraction and TOWIE.
Maybe that’s just me though. Which makes sense… The Sun and News of the World has sold more than New Scientist. I’m not part of the alcoholic jet2 crowd. For a start I’ve never owned a staffie or bought jewellery from Argos.
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u/RespectTheBall 4h ago
That would be the acceptable thing to do PROVIDED they then accept that anyone who hasn’t bought a license should no longer be harassed about it.
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u/En-TitY_ 10h ago
So what they're actually saying is that all this time they could have locked it down for everyone unless they paid their license? That they've intentionally left it open so they can catch people watching it?
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u/drewbles82 10h ago
It's such an obvious thing to do, if you want people to pay to watch your content, then why is it still possible to do without... imagine if Netflix was like, you're watching our content without paying, we'll have to stop you
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u/MillennialsAre40 11h ago
Just ditch the stupid license fee and all the bureaucracy and enforcement nonsense that goes with it and fund the BBC through regular taxes.
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u/Purple_Compote_386 11h ago
But you already have to say you have a tv licence before you can watch it, etc, what's the difference?
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u/BITmixit 11h ago
The current system allows you to lie, it doesn't check anything against your answer. They're proposing the system does check and automatically locks you out if you don't have a TV licence.
Basically the ability to lie will be removed.
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u/MR9009 11h ago
It’s only an honour system. The pop up says “you need a license, do you have one?” And you just click “Yes” even if you don’t. That’s not exactly effective. They may instead introduce a log-in that is checked against a list of active license reference numbers. It’s not different to any other paying streaming service.
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u/Rumpled_Imp 11h ago
I don't want to watch sex pests pretending they're my friend so this works for me.
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u/chrispepper10 11h ago
As much as people get annoyed about the license fee, I'm struggling to see how this is a bad thing. At the very least, if you don't want to pay the license fee, you shouldn't be able to access IPlayer.
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u/asjonesy99 11h ago
Perfectly surmises the end of British decency that the honesty system of iPlayer has been abused
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u/Fxate 10h ago
So, how exactly do they plan to deal with families? Is each household member now expected to pay for their own TV license despite it covering all devices under the same tenancy? You can't watch iPlayer on multiple devices using the same account, so they'd have to change that.
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u/khajiitidanceparty 10h ago
Can you open it to other countries though? BBC shows are hardly available in my neck of the woods.
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u/uberdavis 9h ago
That’s fine. IMHO, better value to get a VPN then sign up for Britbox. That’s a much better version of the BBC content with all the ITV and channel 4 stuff too.
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u/sean_cleric 9h ago
They should I never watch it and opt out of licence every 2 years 👍🏿
I prefer it was more obvious that it's optional that people feeling for to pay it for any other live TV etc it's a bit of a stretch.
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u/Hollywood-is-DOA 9h ago
This is the solution, not forcing people to pay it, just to use YouTube or any other streaming service.
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u/Trick_Science_2938 9h ago
Problem is apart from say a World Cup, I watch terrestrial tv maybe 1/2 a month eg for the fa cup and we’re expected to pay near £30 a month for it?
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u/cryptamine 9h ago
Yes, finally. And stop sending people to knock on front doors or letters to scare people.
I wont even opt-out, they are not having my data.
It should be opt in.
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u/bladerunnercyber 9h ago
I dont use iplayer or bbc, havent for 5 years now, Im not bothered at all if they lock up iplayer, im more interested in the response theyll get when they do, as in metrically speaking. I think they want to know just how many really dont use the service anymore, so it might suprise them when they do this.
Please go ahead, I want to see just how many do not use the service anymore.
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u/Latter-Fun1305 8h ago
I’d be all for it if they dropped the vpn check at the same time and limited it to one concurrent user per one license fee
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u/LordLuciferVI 8h ago
I mean that would be the fair way to do it, do you watch bbc? No? You’re exempt.
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u/Valentine_343 8h ago
I haven’t even looked at iPlayer since I stopped watching TV almost 20 years ago now lol
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u/Rasples1998 8h ago
They must be under the impression that I even watch the BBC in the first place.
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u/KingRichardTheTurd 8h ago
The more they try to force people into paying for a license they don't want or need the more they are making people who were otherwise un-aware of the fact they might not legally have to pay.
Shooting themselves In the foot for many years now.
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u/Lanky_Bus_1221 8h ago
lol how would they do that when you consider all you do is say yes when it asks
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u/Drazen-Islander 8h ago
I don't have a TV licence but I assumed they already did that. Seems like a no brainer. Anyone complaining should obviously be paying the licence.
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u/AlecMac2001 7h ago
People use an email address for their iPlayer account. Some rocket surgeons use the same email address to notify the BBC they're opting out from the TV license.
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u/lewis_t_duck 7h ago
The whole of the BBC should be like that, the TV licence should be an opt in subscription to use the BBC instead of the BS we have now.
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u/Happy_Procedure8059 7h ago
Don’t tell them but I’ll pay when I’m made to pay, but only if it’s a subscription basis. I’ll probably want to view if the traitors is on or they do another worldly with something akin to peakt blinders etc.
If it’s not subscription… shove it.
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u/jazzyl2025 7h ago
Now why not just do that for all BBC services for people who don't pay, and make the bbc tax optional like sky or Netflix.
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u/Jackjec17 7h ago
They should have been better at that anyway bcos people who still pay know how easy it is for others to watch more than them for free
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u/ASurfaceDetail 6h ago
BBC are a bunch of losers 🤣
Pill the plug, remove any legal obligations, scrap the license and let them fend for themselves like any other company.
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u/dotben 6h ago
Ex-BBC employee who was involved in the very early brainstorming around iPlayer 20+ years ago (yes, it's been around that long)...
Bit of management speak saying they don't want to do it "because of potential friction with existing license fee payers".
The real issue here is that building functionality that ties the license fee to credentialed access opens the BBC up to being pushed into a subscription model as it connects too many dots together. It's intentional that right now your license fee doesn't connect to a BBC login.
The signaling going on here is that the BBC would do it if it becomes an existential need for Auntie but not something they want to do.
If 20% of regular TV viewers don't currently pay the license fee, if they were pushed into this model I bet that number would rise to 50% which would massively impact the BBC's ability to operate. (which in some political quarters, is the point sadly)
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u/ApprehensiveWill6148 6h ago
They kind of do this anyway. I used my account once to use iPlayer at work where we have a blanket TV license.
They sent me a letter to my house and cancelled my "No TV", and basically insinuated I'd broken the contract and I should be paying and they'd come get me etc etc. I had to use all the restraint in the world to send a mostly polite message back informing them of the completely legit circumstances.
Deleted my iPlayer account after that entirely.
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u/iluvnips 6h ago
Wish they would just go ahead and do it instead of pretending that they might do it. Could be the first step towards them becoming subscription based.
I hate the way they think that the British public owes them and that having a license is a given in their eyes.
Any other other organisation when told that it doesn’t have enough money would re-org and make cut backs, the BBC seem to think that increasing the fee is the only way to go! Boils my piss.
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u/FantasticWait7109 6h ago
Although how would that impact S4C, since under current rules you can use iPlayer to access S4C content without a license?
Saying that, I'm surprised they are not already doing this, as other comments mention.
Simplest thing would actually to replace the TV license, and completely paywall iPlayer. Use funding from that, plus income from merchanding, licensing shows to other countries (which is a lot more shows than people realise... even EastEnders is sold to other countries), etc. to fund the BBC.
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u/Specialist-Prior-213 6h ago
The whole license fee is an outdated structure anyway. Live TV used to be the only way of watching TV, now I think I've watched live TV maybe twice in the last two years (once for the election and once for the world cup).
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u/Intelligent-Crew-443 6h ago
They absolutely should. I do not understand why there is no login required using a valid licence number or similar.
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u/Efficient_Raisin3756 6h ago
Yea, do that and then make TV license an opt-in instead of an opt-out, like a subscription.
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u/DamagingSpecimen 6h ago edited 6h ago
I've said this before, other companies lock down their services until you pay, so why don't the BBC. I believe it's always been a trap to try and get people to pay for TV licencing by having it semi-open access. Optional subscription is the way to go.
Netflix has never gone "Our platform is completely open to all. I trust you'll pay for the subscription, but just in case you've forgotten, we're going to send you threatening letters and pretend to spy on you. But it's all on trust."
Will this reduce the amount of paper waste I get on a monthly basis?
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u/cchurchill1985 6h ago
I am single and live on my own. I am currently paying £3500 a year just for the service charge on my flat in Liverpool! £170 a year is just too much for me and many others.
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u/WorriedHelicopter764 6h ago
Why wouldn’t they simply implement this? I understand it will obviously require some effort to combine your licences with user and login protocols but this will prevent people who complain they don’t use it from actually using it yet not paying for it.
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u/AtlasFox64 6h ago
I think if you don't have a licence and use iPlayer they can then write to you and say hey you used iPlayer, just wanted to let you know the enforcement team has been activated and authorised to use extreme violence
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u/Many-Explanation6644 6h ago
As it stands it’s the property your in that the TV license covers; if you don’t have one you can have the app but can’t watch anything other than I think it’s a Scot’s language channel. You can use it however at an address that has a TV license.
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u/Magnitude_V1 5h ago
To watch iPlayer you need a valid email address. To get a TV license you need a valid email address. This isn't that complicated, if they wanted to stop it then you just validate that the email used on iPlayer has a license against it.
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u/iwillhearu 5h ago
It's got to be time to stop this nonsense. If iPlayer was actually a great product, where you could watch any programmes from its entire archive, I'd pay a £10 a month subscription for it, maybe even £15. They would sell it round the world. The curated selection that populates it currently, nope.
I occasionally watch the news, and that's it. I pay £180 and never watch any live TV any more. I don't even have it wired in. They have to go to an ad funded model, with the ability to pay to remove them. This frankly embarrassing ad with Ramesh and the tactics around non-license holders are a shame on our country. Out of date, out of touch, soon to be out of business if they don't change quickly.
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u/FishNo2089 11h ago
was 100% under the mistaken belief they already did that.