Future of get-iplayer when BBC changes licence

[James Scholes]

John Bray wrote:
> Do you know how the BBC will enforce there new online licence rules?

The most likely option, from a technical point of view, is that the
change will be a purely cosmetic one, with licence rules enforced
through their websites/apps, rather than through their streaming APIs
and backends.  I say that for a few reasons, there are probably more:

1. Streaming infrastructure like the mediaselector is used by IPTV
providers and probably other partners besides, and I would assume that
if you have a TV service like Virgin Media you won't need to prove to
the BBC's servers that you have a TV licence;
2. The cost involved with adding some sort of OAuth across all websites,
apps and partner devices, also the reason BBC Store content is so locked
down;
3. The fact that, to my knowledge, radio content won't require a TV
licence.  They're unlikely to dramatically change their infrastructure
for all content when it's only required for a certain subsection.

So my bet is that get_iplayer will carry on working as ever.  But this
is all conjecture, of course - I have no inside knowledge, and I'm not
as synical as some on this list when it comes to the BBC and their
developments.  And who knows, the heavy hand of the law might prove me
completely incorrect.  Regardless though, in the worst case senario, if
an app on an iPhone can still access their streams, so can get_iplayer
after a bit of snooping.
-- 
James Scholes
http://twitter.com/JamesScholes