International BBC iPlayer cheaper than TV license

by Steven Mostyn - Mar 3 2011, 13:17

If there’s one thing that media-loving British ex-pats almost always bemoan—this writer included—it’s the regional block that meets any attempt to watch the online catch-up services offered by TV broadcasters such as ITV, Channel 4 and the BBC.

Well here’s a reason to turn that persistent frown upside down: The good folks over at the Beeb have today announced that access to the upcoming international version of the iPlayer will cost less than $10 USD per month.

Available via an iPad application that’s expected to hit the iTunes Store before the close of 2011, the international iPlayer will enable subscribers to watch popular TV shows such as Doctor Who and Top Gear, along with programming contained within the BBC archive.

In terms of prices relating to other regions of the world, BBC director general Mark Thompson has said the Beeb is currently “exploring internationally what the right pricing models are,” but also maintained that settling on the right consumer pricing is “the most important thing”.

If the international iPlayer were to carry an average monthly price of $10 USD, the equivalent of 6.14 GBP, the popular catch-up service’s annual cost would be around 73.40 GBP, which is substantially less than the 145.50 GBP British TV watchers have to pay each year to help fund the Beeb.

In terms of content set to grace the international iPlayer, a BBC spokesman told The Telegraph that it “will not be the BBC’s entire UK services for a year wrapped up in an app,” but will instead offer “a combination of current and past shows” tailored specifically for different international audiences.

Around the Web