Why don't the BBC make all of their shows freely available online?

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

They did it with the world cup and used to do it with a few shows like Dragons' Den, Extras and Buzzcocks as well. They now only show a few brief clips of Buzzcocks rather than the full episode.

Since it's funded by the licence fee and they aren't reliant on advertising revenue anyway is there any reason, other than the hassle of putting the shows up, that they don't?

― uptoeleven (uptoeleven), Monday, 5 February 2007 15:50 (eighteen years ago)

I mean, I understand that there's the problem of people watching without a licence but couldn't they have some sort of pre-registration where you type in your address and licence number first?

― uptoeleven (uptoeleven), Monday, 5 February 2007 15:51 (eighteen years ago)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6194929.stm

^^ not exactly what you're looking for, but a start ^^

― onimo (onimo), Monday, 5 February 2007 15:55 (eighteen years ago)

Oh wait, that's not free :(

― onimo (onimo), Monday, 5 February 2007 15:56 (eighteen years ago)

Why make programmes available to an international audience when you can sell them to networks around the world for k-quid?

― Mädchen (Madchen), Monday, 5 February 2007 16:04 (eighteen years ago)

I thought this would come up. You can stop people watching internationally - I dunno how but they manage it. When I was in the US I couldn't listen to BBC radio coverage of the football and likewise with tv programs.

― uptoeleven (uptoeleven), Monday, 5 February 2007 16:09 (eighteen years ago)

They're consulting at the moment about haveing seven-days worth of programmes free to download. Go here, http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbctrust/consult/open-consultations/ondemand_services.html#, if you want to comment on their proposals.

― liz (lizg), Monday, 5 February 2007 16:50 (eighteen years ago)

There are huge licensing issues with many programmes, is a major thing. Actors' contracts need to cover it for dramas, music royalties need to be sorted out etc. And there are always concerns with this sort of thing that it's not smothering life in the commercial sector (like when the BBC had to pull lots of its websites like fantasy football).

Plus there's massive bandwidth to consider, if they don't do it via p2p.

But they are getting there, slowly. Just last week the BBC Trust approved the 7-day plans for catch-up of some shows that Liz mentions. DRM will allow them to be viewable for 30 days, rather than the 13 weeks the corporation asked for.

― Alba (Alba), Monday, 5 February 2007 18:29 (eighteen years ago)

The big issue is that these things haven't been covered by artist contracts, or if they have they fall into the nebulous "new media" area, which is constantly shifting and underdefined.

As a result, everyone is being incredibly cautious about signing new deals, and the BBC has a new terms of trade which intends to capture more rights for effectively less money, and as you can imagine this doesn't go down too well with people like me. Though I do sympathise - to all intents and purposes, the BBC aren't willing to pay the artists more money for content that they have to give away for free.

― === temporary username === (Mark C), Monday, 5 February 2007 18:44 (eighteen years ago)

Alba's last graf is OTM. You can also book shows in advance, and they'll download automagically. How far in advance is still being worked out.

― Elsa Svitborg (tracerhand), Tuesday, 6 February 2007 17:41 (eighteen years ago)

Tracer you are living in TEH FUTURE.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 6 February 2007 17:52 (eighteen years ago)

Remember there was that breif wonderful week or so where they did the realmedia streaming demo thing? Anyone could access live BBC channels, even from overseas. It was rad, I watched bits of Top Gear and Antiques Roadshow (it was all that was on at the time), but then they turned it all off again :(

― Trayce (trayce), Tuesday, 6 February 2007 23:46 (eighteen years ago)

I just feel like this magical new technology has meant that I no longer should have to choose between going out of an evening and catching some fine televisual entertainment. I pay my licence fee (well, someone in this bloody house does) so the fact that it CAN be shown online means, in my mind, that it SHOULD. I'm not sure how this fits. *puzzled*

― uptoeleven (uptoeleven), Wednesday, 7 February 2007 00:22 (eighteen years ago)

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.