BBC iPlayer cracks down and blocks VPN users

[michael norman]

On 09/10/15 13:40, Jim web wrote:
> In article
> <CAPZzCnNh_4=EdTsm3Q7a898HMwhG5=JUOD7fWhO=KGTc6K9DQg at mail.gmail.com>,
>     CJB <chrisjbrady at gmail.com> wrote:
>> Thank you George.
>
>> Also I do know that many friends are ex-pats living overseas in warmer
>> climes over the British winter. They are all BBC licence fee payers.
>> They have now been cut off from accessing what they have already paid
>> in advance for - use of iPlayer.
>
>> How are they stealing programmes from the BBC?
>
> The BBC pay content providers on the basis of limiting their UK output to
> be available only within the UK. To expand the geographic coverage would
> cost the BBC more. So it pushes up the price demanded of the BBC when
> content providers can argue that the content *is* being accessed from
> outside the UK.
>
> Having a license allows you to received over-air when you are situated in
> the UK.
>
> So the problem is that if people access outside the UK the costs for the
> BBC rise.
>
> The root of the problem is that the rules by which the BBC operate are
> constraigned by a combination of commercial content providers and the UK
> Government. neither of whom are particularly fond of the BBC and have their
> own agendas.
>
> Hopefully this might change so the BBC can sell access *without* such
> geographic limits. The EU are considering dealing with the 'regional carve
> ups' the commercial content providers like. But this is all politics so not
> really on topic here. The fact of the matter is that as things stand if you
> are out of the UK you are not legally entitled to access the UK broadcast
> material and if you do, the result may be increased costs and problems for
> the BBC.
>
> if you don't like this, please argue with the UK Government and the EU to
> get the rules changed. I suspect many at the BBC would cheer you on if they
> were allowed to openly express such views. :-) But as it stands, the BBC
> are stuck in the middle of a situation I'm sure they'd love to change. They
> don't make the rules they work under.
>
> Jim
>

Jim

Sums it up for me, pretty much what I'd like to have said.

M