Bad news iPlayer fans… It might be about to get slightly pricer to watch your favourite shows!
As you may have heard last week the Government are intending to close a ‘loophole’ that allowed viewers to watch shows for free using iPlayer without paying.
However if you use a smartphone or tablet to catch up on BBC programmes on iPlayer you will be forced to pay for a licence fee if the changes go through.
The broadcaster has stated it intends to force viewers who don’t have a licence to pay the same annual £145.50 fee it charges TV viewers.
Whilst this could alarm those who want to see BBC shows, the technology wouldn’t actually just means those with tablets would have to pay.
It would legally mean anyone watching on any device would have to pay the licence fee.
But, the BBC told the Sunday Times that isn’t hasn’t worked out how users would pay, or how it would work yet but suggested it could see the introduction of a similar system to Netflix with user profiles and monthly payments.
Last week, John Whittingdale, said he would fast-track secondary legislation, possibly as soon as May, to allow the change.
The BBC said smart phones were covered by existing legislation, adding: ‘The change would simply be about moving from needing a licence to watch live TV to also needing one to watch any IPlayer content, and it wouldn’t be device dependent.’
