The BBC has revealed a record number of viewers now watch its programmes on the internet, fuelling fears thousands of households are legally dodging the licence fee. New figures show the corporation’s iPlayer website received 242million hits last month, up 38 per cent on last year. More than two million watched Top Gear online, while many others used the internet to stream sporting events, such as the Wimbledon tennis final. A TV licence is required for viewing programmes online only when they are broadcast in their scheduled slots or streamed live, as in the case of Wimbledon. Although the BBC has so far refused calls to reveal how many households dodge the fee by using this online loophole, the statistics suggest the corporation’s funding model has become increasingly outmoded in the digital age. Almost all the BBC’s programmes are available on the internet catch-up service and can be viewed just a few minutes after finishing on television. Some programmes, such as a forthcoming Peter Kay sitcom, are even being made available on iPlayer first. The idea is likely to be extended after the BBC approved a 12-month trial which would allow up to 40 hours of programming to be shown online before transmission on TV. It means licence fee payers without internet access are funding programmes they cannot watch.
Posted on: Fri, 23 Aug 2013 10:19:20 +0000
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015