The BBC is considering introducing stricter restrictions that will close off iPlayer to viewers who have declined to pay their TV licence fee, according to new reports.
Kerris Bright, the BBC’s chief customer officer, said making iPlayer difficult to access for people not paying their £180 a year subscription could be an "opportunity."
“iPlayer is the only service really that’s licencable where you could actually decide to put a gate in front of it, but the data today says that actually [there’s] not really the return on investment for doing that,” Bright told employees, per audio obtained by Deadline.
Current iPlayer checks
“The vast majority of evasion is not on iPlayer. The vast majority of people that are watching iPlayer are people that are paying their TV licence, and so to put a gate in front of iPlayer, the data today says that you actually would make it a very difficult experience for people that are paying for the licence.”
At present, iPlayer viewers have to sign in to use the platform using their email address and are occasionally asked if they have a licence fee, but proof isn't required.
“It’s quite a difficult experience if you have to ask them to find their TV licence to put it into iPlayer,” Bright said. “As we go into the future, more of an IPTV world, audiences changing behaviour, new ways of creating experiences that maybe aren’t so full of friction for audiences … that might absolutely be an opportunity for us, depending on the funding model.”
She added that the data also suggests that this scheme wouldn't be the "silver bullet" to achieving higher revenue, but wanted to keep looking at the idea for the future.
BBC advert campaign
A standard colour TV licence in the UK costs £180 per annum for a household, and the BBC released a recent advert encouraging people to pay their TV licence fee and keep the BBC alive.
Almost 100 famous faces appeared in the BBC advert titled What Has The BBC Ever Done For Me?, which aired during Sunday's World Cup final. The ad featured Coldplay frontman Chris Martin, broadcaster Louis Theroux and Strictly Come Dancing judge Anton Du Beke, Cate Blanchett, Daisy Ridley, Chris McCausland, Clive Myrie and Stacey Solomon, as well as Pudsey Bear and a number of Daleks.
The advert showcased the impact the BBC has had on culture, film and television in the UK and was timed to coincide with discussions around the BBC’s charter renewal and future funding options.
