BBC Internet to Charge?
 

The BBC is considering charging non-UK residents to access its website in order to 'commercialise' international traffic.

David Moody, the director of strategy and new media for BBC Worldwide, told a new media conference that in addition to charging overseas visitors the BBC is also looking at running advertisements on its site.

'Now is the right time to look at commercialising international traffic to bbc.co.uk,' he said.

The BBC employed the Accenture business consultancy to evaluate the various options

MediaGuardian reports that the BBC has considered charging international users who do not pay the licence fee before, and has even talked about charging licence payers a top-up fee to cover the cost of putting content online.

Any charges that it does introduce may depend upon the recently announced European Commission review of the way in which public service broadcasters are expanding into new media markets.

'Funding must be transparent, and the broadcaster must behave according to normal market conditions in any commercial activities,' said competition commissioner, Neelie Kroes.

The review is expected to look at whether using a licence fee to fund Internet activities breaches EU laws.

Re: BBC Internet to Charge?
 

:rolleyes:
Does that mean it'll be taken out of our paychecks pre-tax, or post-tax?

Re: BBC Internet to Charge?
 

Dunno

Just shooting themselves in the foot.

Re: BBC Internet to Charge?
 

Stupid idea. Probably by some stupid accountant grad that wants to make a name for themselves.

Even commercial radio stations dont charge for internet access.

Re: BBC Internet to Charge?
 

Ah, so because the government said that the licence fee can't fund the switch to digital TV they came up with this idea and are trying to make it look like something else. It's a dmb idea, I like the BBC website but wouldn't pay to use it and I'm sure a lot of people feel the same.

Re: BBC Internet to Charge?
 

[QUOTE=Boiler]The BBC is considering charging non-UK residents to access its website in order to 'commercialise' international traffic.

QUOTE]

Well, much to my own surprise, I did subscribe to the New York Times online when it went "subscription optional". I think it is about $50 a year.

I subscribe to the Daily Telegraph online - free - but not to the London Times - not free.

If the BBC wants to charge for it's internet service I'll have to see how they do it. If it is a charge for "enhanced services" that's one thing but if it is a charge to listen to anything but headlines then I will be very opposed.

If I have to pay just to listen to "Any Questions" about once a month then it isn't going to happen.

Surely BBC online comes under the same heading as BBC World Service and they don't charge anyone overseas for that/

Re: BBC Internet to Charge?
 

First mistake the BBC has made in this whole venture is to hire Accenture. The so-called business consultancy suck and this is based on having had to work with them back in the UK.... :eek:

Re: BBC Internet to Charge?
 

Ditto, there's just too many other websites to get the same info the only thing I'd miss is the Radio Streaming, but again there's plenty of other places and radio stations to listen too.

Re: BBC Internet to Charge?
 

I would pay if it meant we could get TV as well!

We will just all need to become hackers and make the PCs look like they are in the UK!

Re: BBC Internet to Charge?
 

Am I right in thinking that there is a UK TV licence but no longer a UK Radio Licence ?

If so then, logically, there should be no charge for listening to BBC radio via the Internet if you live overseas. After all, you don't pay for it in the UK.

It would be a different matter if you wanted to watch BBC Television via the Internet. This is not a free service, whereas BBC radio is.

I would be happy to subscribe to watch BBC TV via Internet. I don't subscribe to BBC America on Cable as it goes with a package of other crap I don't need and get all the best of the BBC on WGCU Public Media.

Anybody else watch the excellent Windsor series recently ?

Re: BBC Internet to Charge?
 

It's already been done.... but it's illegal for someone to run a proxy server like that in order to defraud.

Re: BBC Internet to Charge?
 

I know that it can be done, I just have never found a way of easily doing it.

There must be a market here.

Re: BBC Internet to Charge?
 

You want a web proxy server based in the UK.

Re: BBC Internet to Charge?
 

All the ones that I have seen switch from one location to another, any links on one that would work?

Re: BBC Internet to Charge?
 

That was superb - so much so that we are planning a visit when we are back next week!! Just a pity there were only three episodes!

Re: BBC Internet to Charge?
 

nope.... they are by their nature transient.

Ask Bob. :D

Re: BBC Internet to Charge?
 

How about transient but within the UK

Re: BBC Internet to Charge?
 

All business consultancy firms suck - Accenture, Bearing Point, IBM, Deloitte, Cap Gemini etc. They are are leeches and why so many businesses use them is beyond me - an absolute joke.
Working closely with IBM and Accenture resources right now I can tell you first hand that their services aren't worth the steam off my p*ss :mad:

Re: BBC Internet to Charge?
 

http://www.publicproxyservers.com/page1.html

:)

Re: BBC Internet to Charge?
 

I have seen this one, but could not see a way to just use UK locales.

Re: BBC Internet to Charge?
 

There is...and you pay a lot for it if you want one that has decent bandwidth otherwise it ain't worth it...those free ones don't ahve the bandwidth to for anything, radio is a struggle, tv would be a joke.

Re: BBC Internet to Charge?
 

there wouldn't be a point to it....

and those free public server lists, don't bother with them, only good if you want to hide your IP number, but shite if you want to use bandwidth for video streaming, have to do a google for paid proxy services.

Re: BBC Internet to Charge?
 

So I can access those broadcasts etc that are restricted otherwise to those in the UK, examples:

Radio 5 Live certain events.

Coventry and Warwick Radio - match commentary

Sky TV - Live streaming of Sky Sports etc, my Brother has Sky so i could piggyback on him.

Re: BBC Internet to Charge?
 

Is PC anywhere an option if you have a machine back in blighty you can use as a host ??

Re: BBC Internet to Charge?
 

You could almost certainly use PCAnywhere for that. If you have Windows XP on both machine you could probably use "Remote Desktop" the same way. what would happen to your connection speed is anybody's guess.

Re: BBC Internet to Charge?
 

that's what i was wondering about

Re: BBC Internet to Charge?
 

I think that Remote Desktop would be better than PCAnywhere, less overhead as it is an integral Program.

You would have to have your UK compuer set up to accept Remote Desktop calls. If I were you I would not have anything on it unprotected by passwords.

How often do you get to touch your UK PC ?

Re: BBC Internet to Charge?
 

Problem with that is, well it'll lag like a beast, and also you might not get any video, tried a VNC network around here with a mate, and video feed wouldn't over lay on the second computer...that and it was way laggy.

Re: BBC Internet to Charge?
 

In theory, yes you can, and on some radio broadcasts, i have had it working in the past, but never got the video to work, mostly because of bandwidth, would always time out.

Re: BBC Internet to Charge?
 

Well my Brother does not have Broadband.

If anyone sees a solution perhaps they could bear it in mind and post on this board.

Got to be more and more demand.

Re: BBC Internet to Charge?
 

Whatever the solution would require quite a fair bit of bandwidth, so basically a broadband connection, and the proxy route would require a decent one, though you never know, they might be quite cheap, i don't know how much they charge, haven't looked into that in yonks.

Re: BBC Internet to Charge?
 

Quite honestly, I wouldnt mind paying the beeb for the content - as long as its reasonable. I'm just bummed that at the moment I dont even have that option.

My worry is that internet users will be charged disproportionaly for the service.

Re: BBC Internet to Charge?
 

presumably you mean TV - as the radio is open (bar some of the sporting stuff)

Re: BBC Internet to Charge?
 

It is the sporting stuff that most interests me. I can pay for Coventry and Warwicks through the Club site, but pisses me off when you get the cut off on events you would have listened to but are not interested in to buy, and some you can not.