Beeb plans global Iplayer
THE BBC is planning to launch a global Iplayer so that people in the US can catch up on its top shows, according to its profit-making arm the BBC Worldwide.
BBC Worldwide said that a global Iplayer would enable Auntie to raise her prices for premium content. It reckons global audiences would be happy to pay $10 for an episode of its marvellous shows such as the Doctor Who spin-off Torchwood.
Managing director of BBC.com, Luke Bradley Jones, told PaidContent, "Millions of people love Torchwood and would probably pay 10 bucks an episode rather than two bucks," referring to the Itunes price ceiling.
It is expected that a global platform would also have some historical material from the Beeb's archives and catch-up material from overseas channels.
If the BBC Worldwide wants to launch a global Iplayer, it needs to get the go-ahead from The BBC Trust. However it needs to prove that it can bring in the cash from BBC.com's 20 million registered American users.
BBC Worldwide also intends to rake in the big bucks by selling applications on several mobile platforms. Bradley-Jones forsees "a much higher willingness to pay for content" through BBC mobile apps, which will cost around $2.
On Wednesday of this week, The BBC Trust rejected plans to let other TV networks use its technology to create their own versions of Iplayer, saying that it would not deliver value to licence-fee payers.
Iplayer allows viewers and listeners to catch up on or re-watch TV and radio programmes up to a week after the original broadcast. µ
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10 ****ing bloody bucks?!?
Out of reality! I wouldn't pay it not even to see a episode of the NEXT season of Lost in a very exclusive premiere with hot babes on my lap!
What the hail are they thinking?
3 bucks and they got a deal.
While I quite enjoy the good Doctor, Jack and his pals, those subterranean IT Crowders and Spooks or the more PC labeled MI-5, 10$ an episode? Someone has been sniffing too much marsh gas over in Wales. At that price I can wait for the dvd's to come out and buy the lot of them on the cheap, not a chance I'd sign up for the webcast.
I'd pay for a subscription. No way am I paying $10 an episode. I'll just wait until BBC America picks it up, or they're available on DVD through Netflix.
We'd be HAPPY to pay $10 PER EPISODE???
Are they INSANE? $3, absolutely. $5, sure...but TEN bucks per EPISODE?
I've always been a proponent of an international version of the license fee so that we can see their shows on iPlayer, but good god, I didn't mean we should pay almost the full amount! We're only getting online viewings here. It's not like we're paying to have it on our televisions. We're getting only a fraction of the content, why should we pay almost a full license fee?
If they were looking to discourage illegal downloading, this is not going to do it. Lower the price, then we'll talk.
10 dollars... for a subscription per week or so. Fine. Anything else, in their dreams! Their programs are good, but not that good!
They have been using the improbability drive a bit too often I reckon.
They must be dreaming.
For $65 I can buy a 13 episode Dr. Who season box set on DVD with assorted extras... or I can pay double that and get crappy streaming video version. Hard choice eh?
And BBC DVDs are expensive, compare the cost to something like Lost at $39 and the idea that US fans will pay $10 is even a bigger joke.
Maybe $10 a month for access to iPlayer if I got the same content they get in England.
But a month. Or as how sky do it.
As a brit living in the US, I'd happily carry on paying the equivilent of the UK annual TV license fee if it opened up all the content on iPlayer to me as if I was still resident in the UK.
Pay per show just doesn't fly for the BBC's current affairs and episodic content that many ex pats value and miss so much.
By all means offer people the chance to purchase individual shows online, but give us an 'all you can eat' subscription option too, please!
No. I don't really care because I live in the UK but if I did live in the US I definitely wouldn't even consider paying $10 a show when you can get the shows on DVD a couple of months later for a fraction of the price.
Also, anyone know why the BBC doesn't just open up it's archives for viewing on iplayer like channel 4 does? They have a program internally in the BBC which lets employees download anything that's been on BBC TV ever while at work.
I would probably pay an extra £50 to get that at home.
HEY DAD,
Yes Son, the BBC are selling episodes worldwide.
Dad asks: whats he asking for it
Son Reply's: 10 buks an episode
Dad Asks: for torch wood?
son says: Yep
Dad says: Tell him hes dreamin!
If anyone ones ozzie comedy the castle you will know what im talking about here
1 or 2 pounds per episode is too much even, 50Pence would be good price maybe 1 pound I would pay for Top gear and the formula 1
It seems that they are thinking of an international iPlayer as purely a profit making venture. I am interested in informative programs such as Sunday AM, This Week, Question Time etc. As we all know Top Gear and others are already available on the web but not full episodes of those I mentioned.
Hey guys! Welcome to RIP OFF Britain (we get screwed with these types of prices often). The BBC were even mooting a subscription fee for UK viewers, when we all already pay an annual license fee.
20 bucks for monthly subscription to ALL shows sounds more reasonable.
10 pounds per episode? Hah. It's not worth it. The service will fail because it's priced far higher than the value to the consumer.
And of course pirates will get the blame, though why the BBC should pick on some poor Somali lad with a speedboat and an AK47 is beyond me.