Public to pay for iPlayer

Could the BBC’s iPlayer soon be covered by the TV License fee?

The UK Government is said to be considering the move after a long free-run of the online catch-up service, part funded by the License Fee.

Right now, you can catch up with the likes of Doctor Who completely free. The new scheme could see you coughing up those precious pennies to watch Downton Abbey on your PC.

This move may cause controversy – iPlayer is only part funded by the licence fee payer (66p per license sold, to be specific). Only 0.2% of households rely solely on iPlayer to watch TV, reports Techradar.

The Guardian also reports that, although the change was not confirmed, a government spokesperson said, “Government is aware of developing technologies and the changing viewing habits of those who watch television programmes.

“How the BBC is funded as these issues evolve is a matter the department will need to address in the near future.”

This is a stark contrast to the culture secretary, Jeremy Hunt, said last year. He promised that the government was “not going to introduce a PC license fee”, but this latest evolution may prove to break that promise.

Here in the UK we already dish out £145 a year for our TV licenses, which covers the viewing, or recording, of TV programmes as they are broadcast – whether you watch the live TV on PC, phones or the more traditional television.

The BBC trust in 2009 concluded their research with the following, "It is not yet clear whether households are likely to switch to internet streaming as the sole method of watching television, avoiding the use of a dedicated television set. It is clear, however, that this is happening in some segments – research for the BBC Executive shows that 40% of students in halls of residence use a laptop as their main way to watch TV.

What do you think of this latest development? Do you use iPlayer enough to warrant paying for it? Let us know below, or on Facebook!