BBC iPlayer could go pay-per-view for archive programmes

Ever sat down in front of the BBC iPlayer to watch a show on catch-up, only to discover that the seven-day window has expired and the programme’s nowhere to be seen? The BBC may be about to fix that.

The BBC’s considering adding a pay-per-view element to the iPlayer, with viewers charged micropayments to access programmes more than seven days after broadcast, according to The Guardian.

It’s a tricky proposition for Auntie Beeb – on the one hand, it runs the risk of being accused of charging twice for its programmes. 

On the other hand, it’s no different in practice to charging for a DVD or an iTunes download, both of which the BBC already sell.

If the BBC decides to go ahead with the scheme, it won’t go ahead until 2016 – so you have a few more years of remembering to set the PVR ahead of you.

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Dan Grabham Editor-in-Chief

About

Dan is Editor-in-chief of Stuff, working across the magazine and the Stuff.tv website.  Our Editor-in-Chief is a regular at tech shows such as CES in Las Vegas, IFA in Berlin and Mobile World Congress in Barcelona as well as at other launches and events. He has been a CES Innovation Awards judge. Dan is completely platform agnostic and very at home using and writing about Windows, macOS, Android and iOS/iPadOS plus lots and lots of gadgets including audio and smart home gear, laptops and smartphones. He's also been interviewed and quoted in a wide variety of places including The Sun, BBC World Service, BBC News Online, BBC Radio 5Live, BBC Radio 4, Sky News Radio and BBC Local Radio.

Areas of expertise

Computing, mobile, audio, smart home