BBC iPlayer intended for UK use only being used outside the UK for free

According to a new report the BBC iPlayer catch-up TV service is being used for free by up to 60 million people worldwide. People in countries such as Thailand, the USA, France, Germany, India and Brazil are said to be using the service meant only for UK TV viewers with up to 38.5 million watching in China.

The serviced funded by a licence fee is being accessed overseas by virtual private networks or proxy servers that mask their location.

According to a report by the BBC “The report highlighted that 75% of the 65 million already pay for subscription services like Netflix or Hulu, so there was “clear potential” for the BBC to create “new revenue streams”.

“If even a relatively small proportion users could be converted into paid users, the additional revenue it could create for the BBC would be significant.”

A BBC spokesman said: “BBC iPlayer, and the content on it, is paid for by UK licence fee payers to watch and download in the UK and the terms of use reflect that.

“We do not comment on individual cases regarding breaches of BBC iPlayer’s terms of use, but we take steps where appropriate to protect the intellectual property belonging to rights holders.””

 

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