BritBox UK Streaming Service Launches for £5.99 per Month

[Kebabselector]

...or listen to the radio. To be honest, ~£6 p/m is about half what the licence fee costs. So I'm happy to keep paying the licence fee and fund everything the BBC provides (radio, orchestras, services in British languages other than English, technology and research, BBC Monitoring, etc). Even if they're not all something I directly use, they're things which I think a nation should have.

I understand what you mean about radio, but to be honest the quality isn't what it used to be. Local stations are now becoming regional. I agree some of these things should be funded, maybe the lottery good causes could provide the arts stuff. Tech and research should be a public body (to develop, licence and sell tech).

I do resent Capita dealing with the licencing however. Maybe if the license was replaced with a subscription service that would be better - i've worked for Capita so I know how they extract money from a contract.

 

[nickgovier]

.

 

[AdeFowler]

There's a very big reason it won't work for its current content.

Do you really only want TV shows that will make money? Because that's what'll happen. Whether or not a show gets made will depend entirely on profitability - will it drive subscription revenue.

Profitability's a good metric. But it should by no means be the only one.

I watch the odd show on BBC Four - an arts and culture channel. Some of these shows are actually quite impressively made. I can't for a second believe that BBC Four's viewership would pay for the same quality in a subscription model.

I listen to about 8 BBC podcasts. Would they be supportable entirely through subscription? I donate ~£12 to the Maximum Fun podcast network, and that's just two shows I listen to. The licence fee for *all* BBC services is about the same price.

Believe it or not, I'm *pleased* that through the licence fee, I help fund TV, Radio and Film for members of the British public who are nothing like me. I love that we have Scots and Gaelic channels that can produce good quality programming for those communities which they otherwise couldn't afford for themselves. It's hugely important that someone in China or the middle-east who's risked punishment to access the BBC can click a button and get the BBC's content in Arabic or Mandarin.

Great post.

Some of the history programs on BBC4 are simply brilliant. It's unlikely that they would still be made if popularity was the deciding factor.

 

[SaxPlayer]

Only if you watch live TV. I'm tempted to ditch the TV license and just watch catch up instead.

You need a TV license if you watch anything on iPlayer, not just live stuff.

BritBox content from the BBC won't be available until it drops off the iPlayer, which can be as much as a year after original broadcast (even longer for some output). So if you want to ditch the license fee and still want access to BBC content, you can use BritBox but be prepared to wait a year for each programme to get there (and that's assuming that the content you want to watch that was co-produced or made by a third party is licensed to be on BritBox at all).

 

[lunarworks]

I'd love this if we could get it in Canada, but the UK seems to be sealing itself off from the rest of the world...

 

[SaxPlayer]

I emailed BritBox to ask whether they're launching an app for other Smart TVs (they currently only support Samsung). Their response was as follows:

"While we currently do indeed only support Samsung televisions, I'm fairly sure we'll be looking into other brands. There's loads of different ones out there, so it'd only make sense for us to be a presence on as many things as possible

I know it might not be super convenient for you, but have you tried using your television's web browser to stream our content? There's also the option of Airplay, if you have an iPhone.

I hope these suggestions help in some way!"

I haven't got the strength to point out that LG won't support AirPlay on anything other than new TVs. Using the web browser on a TV is a painful experience unless you have a Bluetooth keyboard. Hopefully they will roll out apps for WebOS and other platforms.

Anyway, just thought I'd post this in case anyone's interested!

 

[waquzy]

BBC iPlayer still requires a TV license

 

[theluggage]

BBC News needs to really go and sit in a dark room and think about itself for a while. I'm not ready to declare it fundamentally left- or right-wing biased just yet -- but what it's missing is something in common with a lot of journalism today: it's entirely failing to hold anyone to account for what they say.

Well, those on the right will tell you that its a hotbed of woke political correctness and socialist propaganda, while those on the left will insist that its a mouthpiece for the elite right-wing establishment. ...because when someone says something that you agree with, they're just right, but if they say something you disagree with then they're biassed!

The problem is, like most news outlets, they're biassed in favour of news and soundbites and more concerned with whipping up scandals and conflict than actually explaining the news. It's nauseating when a politician - be it left or right - turns up for interview and rather than asking good questions about their policy and actions they ask juvenile questions amounting to "please admit you're incompetent and stupid" or other things that they know won't get an answer like "tell us what is in your manifesto before it is published". I think one of today's problems is that we get the politicians that our news services deserve.

One thing you often see on the BBC is "bias by balance" where they feel that they have to report all views on a topic, even if that means giving disproportionate emphasis to some nutjob who's one stick away from being a strawman (actually, strawmen are an endangered species thanks to the Interweb - you can always find a quote somewhere on Twitbook expressing the stupidest of arguments).

It gets better if you dig beneath the headlines and the brainless reporting of what is trending on Twitter as if it were news. There are some good and very even-handed 'fact check' articles on the website, but they're often tucked way down under the headlines parroting the very statistics that the fact checking has debunked.

 

[displaced]

The one obvious thing BBC does badly is explain how commission and production works.

...

This is where the confusion stems from when you encounter the argument that "we paid for it". It's not quite that simple (I do see that *you* understand it - just jumping in on your point).

Indeed - many people still think the BBC works the same way as it did in the 1950s. Today it plays a huge role in helping independent studios get their shows out to the world. This was also one of Channel Four's founding remits too - they've been doing it since they started.

£5.99 a month is a lot to be reminded that the BBC used to make some excellent programming in the 70s and 80s, when they had no real competition so could attract the cream of the available talent.

Hehe. It's not so bad these days either. Their 13 Minutes To The Moon podcast/R4 series was easily worth the licence fee for this year to me.

That's why the public service elements should be funded through general taxation, but people aren't forced to contribute to Chris Evans' £2.2mn per year salary unless they really like whatever it is that he does. The Go Compare guy can pick up that tab.

Funding the BBC out of general taxation is a huge no-no. It would violate a core principle. Remember that the BBC is not a government service. It operates under a Royal Charter - it's a service established by the Crown.

Seems like a daft distinction - but it's really not. The fact that we pay for the BBC directly means that it is not financed by the government. This is meant as a bulwark against the kind of politicking that would happen if it was financed through general taxation. Of course, governments have been finding ways to chip away at that, but -- at least nominally -- the financing of the BBC is not at the whim of the government of the day.

The BBC is ours, not the Government's.

(oh, and as an aside, Evans' salary was 0.057% of the licence fee. I think he's overpaid and not as good as he was in the 1990s, but I'm not going to lose any sleep over how much he's cost me.)

Completely agree. I don't think they are biased, they are actually so scared of being called biased that they give everyone equal time to spout whatever they like, without fact checking or cross-examination.

Yep - it needs to grow a spine, for certain.

 

[Chris The Bipolarbear]

it Has different shows on it from Us version No Bletchley circle or Silent witness. Also differs version of Marple

 

[Plutonius]

I wonder if this will affect Pluto TV (free).

Pluto TV currently has a BritBox Doctor Who Classic channel (370) plus a BritishTV channel (175).

I hope they don't disappear .

 

[acctman]

All those companies should be creating one universal streaming service rather than breaking it up I’m so many apps nobody knows what’s what. #britboxexit

no that would be bad... that is cabletv. I like options pick the streams services you want. besides you can get a lot of the services for free anyway. Hulu, Netflix, AppleTV+, Disney+, etc are all free if you buy or have existing service with another product.

 

[displaced]

I wonder if this will affect Pluto TV (free).

Pluto TV currently has a BritBox Doctor Who Classic channel (370) plus a BritishTV channel (175).

I hope they don't disappear .

Oh! I missed that on Pluto - I've been mainly watching the Rifftrax and Mystery Science Theater 3000 channels.

(ok, I admit, a bit of Fail Army too)

I understand what you mean about radio, but to be honest the quality isn't what it used to be. Local stations are now becoming regional. I agree some of these things should be funded, maybe the lottery good causes could provide the arts stuff. Tech and research should be a public body (to develop, licence and sell tech).

I do resent Capita dealing with the licencing however. Maybe if the license was replaced with a subscription service that would be better - i've worked for Capita so I know how they extract money from a contract.

Capita are scum (no offence intended). And the loss of truly local radio is genuinely a shame. However, the screws really have been tightened on the BBC recently. It paid a huge amount towards the digital switchover (including helping Channel Four, which didn't have the cash available). Plus, it's now got to pay for the Over 75's free licences itself instead of the government.

Here's a great chart showing how the fee is currently the same cost as it was in the 1970s (when adjusted for inflation). It's no surprise that some non-core functions have been outsourced (Licence enforcement) or reduced in order to preserve other services.



I wonder if anyone's produced such a chart for Sky or Virgin Media?

[EDIT for correctness] - there was actually a digital switchover surcharge added to the BBC licence fee. However, it's since been removed as the switchover's complete, and was not used to fund the BBC. It was instead an infrastructure cost incurred by the BBC and the other three commercial broadcasters. Nice of us general public to help pay for some of ITV plc and Viacom International's costs, eh?

 

[paulskinner]

Well no... You paid for a service to make and present you programs within that year. Many of the programmes were made a long time ago and likely you were not paying for them then. Ironically the Licence fee should be called a subscription...but of course it's basically a compulsory tax.

Point in case. Every Doctor who before about 2000 I never funded though the licence. should I be allowed access to it forever? Does it instantly become public domain? Or Fawlty Towers,

I am guessing with your indignation you have NEVER bought a DVD / VHS / Digital content of anything ever... because you are basically arguing that if you have seen it once you own it and you should have it for free again.

The content is really pretty good and I am sure they will add more in the future... BUT I do think it should be about £40 a year.

Full List of What's On BritBox - Top 50

Wondering what you can watch on BritBox? Here’s a complete list of all the movies and TV shows that are currently streaming on BritBox. Sort by popularity, release date, Reelgood Score and more

reelgood.com

A good example of why it's ok to pay for it. But what isn't ok about the service is using licence fee money to run it. Nor is it ok to use licence fee money to produce new content that is only available on britbox.

 

[2010mini]

All those companies should be creating one universal streaming service rather than breaking it up I’m so many apps nobody knows what’s what. #britboxexit

so you want a cable tv package?

 

[mazz0]

This sounds like a right mess - it’s mostly old stuff, there’s some new stuff but you can’t be sure when new stuff will appear on it? What rubbish! They should sort out their licensing so that going forward all new stuff goes on it, regardless of whether it’s on iPlayer etc. Gets some flipping UX designers involved at a higher level please!

 

[2010mini]

This is getting silly now. It's actually cheaper now to get a freaking cable subscription than all of these streaming services.

users asked for a la carte tv: the ability to chose individual “channels” so they could create their own group of channels. The market responded and gave it to you. So why are you not happy? You got what you asked for.

 

[LV426]

I'm not entirely sure what the point of this is for UK residents - it's not replacing iPlayer, itv Hub, 4oD etc.

However, it's great that it opens up an international viewership which our broadcasters can earn from. In particular, it helps the BBC licence fee can stay flat in real-terms and gives the commercial broadcasters more cash to invest in programming. Probably especially useful for Channel 4 which is, like the BBC, a Public Service Broadcaster but entirely commercially-funded. Would hate for C4 to be gobbled up by some random US conglomerate in the same manner as Five or Sky.

BBC iPlayer is forbidden – by regulation – from showing old content. So in that respect this service is replacing iPlayer.

 

[displaced]

BBC iPlayer is forbidden – by regulation – from showing old content. So in that respect this service is replacing iPlayer.

I'd say 'supplementing' rather than 'replacing' -- if it's showing stuff iPlayer can't show, surely it can't be replacing it?

(splitting hairs, I know ... and you're spot-on about iPlayer not being allowed to hold old material. As I've said before, the commercial broadcasters wouldn't be happy competing with a free iPlayer that held the Beeb's entire archive. Looks like Britbox is a way for the BBC to stream its too-old-for-iPlayer content on a playing-field that the commercial operators deem to be level)

 

[StevieD100]

I'm not entirely sure what the point of this is for UK residents - it's not replacing iPlayer, itv Hub, 4oD etc.

However, it's great that it opens up an international viewership which our broadcasters can earn from. In particular, it helps the BBC licence fee can stay flat in real-terms and gives the commercial broadcasters more cash to invest in programming. Probably especially useful for Channel 4 which is, like the BBC, a Public Service Broadcaster but entirely commercially-funded. Would hate for C4 to be gobbled up by some random US conglomerate in the same manner as Five or Sky.

A small part of the UK TV License goes to Channel 4 so it is not entirely commercially funded.

 

[Daveiggy]

Do you need a licence to watch ITV, yes you do. Only way (legally) is to watch ITV on demand only and delete iplayer app from your tv or device (which may not be possible). So I dunno wether a licence may be needed or not with brit box as its technically iplayer with more content. Look forward to seeing the legal ramifications in the next episode of why the brits are morons and love getting shafted by our own.

 

[gkarris]

No Dr. Who or Monty Python on the US site...

 

[Gilligan's last elephant]

£5.99 a month or £5.99 + TV licence. Less we forget the rather daft name that highly suggests it is for English viewers only.

Edit: Answered my own question, no BBC tax required. But still what a daft name.

Name seems logical. Similar to things like Britpop.
There is also more to Britain than England!!

 

[Rodney Dangerfield]

This is getting silly now. It's actually cheaper now to get a freaking cable subscription than all of these streaming services.

Disagree...Picking and choosing what you want/afford is CHEAPER than one flat cable fee for channels that you don't want.

 

[ViDeOmAnCiNi]

If they don't have the 1986 series "Hot Metal" at launch, I'm out. Such a great series.