Streaming of BBC programmes in Ireland

political analyst

I know that there already is a thread on the BBC's plan to make BBC Four and CBBC online only but this OP is meant to analyse the issue from a different angle. The fact that the iPlayer is funded by the licence fee means, obviously, that it's only available in the UK and on the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. Therefore, BBC Four and CBBC won't even be available to European cable subscribers, just like BBC Three, which, although it's back on linear TV in the UK, is still not available on subscription TV outside the UK because of Brexit.

UKTV Play is run by the BBC's commercial subsidiary, BBC Studios, but it's not available in the Republic of Ireland.

I'm puzzled as to why BBC Studios doesn't have a facility by which Internet users in the Republic of Ireland and on the European mainland can pay subscriptions for access to programmes in the BBC archive.

banie01

Isn't that what Britbox is? BBC & ITV series combined for a monthly fee.

Jim_Hodge

It's just not worth their while for a small viewer base for less popular channels.

political analyst

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119118739#Comment_119118739

That's UK-only.

gipi

The UK government have proposed getting rid of the licence fee by 2027. The BBC will have to self-fund, so there may be opportunities to sell access to iPlayer or similar by then.

Sorry to hear that bbc4 might be lost to TV, although the quality of programmes is likely to drop due to current funding problems.

Bbc three is available here on sky!

Jim_Hodge

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119119156#Comment_119119156

It's also on freesat.

They should make the iplayer or Britbox widely available throughout Europe for a subscription fee,it would be one way to generate income!

icdg

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119118933#Comment_119118933

It’s available in several other countries, but Ireland isn’t one of them. One of the main issues with it being launched here is not the BBC side but the ITV side and the fact that it has a long term deal with VMTV.

They tried a subscription iPlayer for overseas uses few years ago, it didn’t last and it was more like a proto-Britbox than bearing any relation content wise to the U.K. version.

The lack of on demand access to U.K. TV content is going to mean (and has already meant to an extent) that Irish viewers will get their content in the on-demand era primarily from the US, as opposed to the U.K. as it was traditionally. Series as huge as Doctor Who and many other BBC/ITV hits are not available on demand on any Irish platform because the BBC has reserved them for Britbox and RTE and VMTV haven’t picked them up. (Some U.K. series have been picked up by the RTE Player, mind you).

I am not sure why UKTV Play is not available in its full version here. Content from it is available on Sky’s on demand section mind you.

Just worth noting that, aside from the unusual case of perculiar local copyright laws in Switzerland, BBC domestic linear channels are only allowed to be carried in countries where cable providers could traditionally pick up an off air signal from the U.K.. That’s Ireland, Belgium, and the Netherlands. Typically other counties get the BBC’s commercially funded overseas channels instead eg BBC Entertainment and BBC World News.

political analyst

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119124118#Comment_119124118

IIRC, Virgin Media TV (when it was TV3) showed some episodes of the 2005 version of Doctor Who but then stopped showing it - I guess that TV3 wasn't getting many viewers for it. I'm aware that some World War 2 documentaries that were on the Yesterday channel have been shown by RTÉ on Saturday nights.

Glaceon

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119124118#Comment_119124118

I noticed this with several BBC shows that left Netflix in the last year or two; Only Fools and Horses being a big one. I presume they moved to Britbox but since we can't get it, there's no legal way here now.

political analyst

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119124259#Comment_119124259

I guess that your only option is to get the DVD box-set.

gipi

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119124259#Comment_119124259

Only fools and horses is shown daily on Gold

Glaceon

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119124289#Comment_119124289

While I wouldn't have an issue with that personally, in this world where a lot of people want everything now, the lack of a legal streaming option could push them towards torrenting or illegal IPTV services. Content providers have shot themselves in the foot by fragmenting the streaming market so much.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119124312#Comment_119124312

I just used that as an example, the first one that came into my head. In any case, a Sky sub is required.

icdg

The whole of Only Fools and Horses (and several other classic BBC sitcoms to be fair) is available on Sky on demand, in Box Sets under Gold (in the case of OFAH) and Dave.

icdg

I renamed the thread to better reflect the intention of the OP - there is legal access to BBC linear services here, the issue is with streaming.

Infoanon

The BBC Channels have now been added to Skygo for the first time.

The football on BBC 2 tonight however was blocked.

icdg

That’s good news (the channels being added, not the football being blocked). At one point the BBC wouldn’t even provide its channels to Sky Go in the UK, not sure if that’s still the case.

eusap

The big problem is not access its with the BBC selling its content overseas which means they can't make it freely available e.g. if they sell to netflix to stream in Ireland they would get a smaller price if they were also competing in the market place. Similarly RTE/BBC collaborate on some Drama Series so they cant compete against each other

lertsnim

The BBC channels have been there for a few weeks now. All sport seems to be blocked which is a pity as there was no legal way of watching Wimbledon online.

icdg

There’s no Irish rights holder for it any more. A pity because RTE and then TG4 and latterly eir Sport gave it extensive coverage for decades. I guess the BBC coverage satisfies most.

twinklerunner

Channel 4 on Sky Go in Ireland on 135 is the HD version of C4.

galtee boy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119365756#Comment_119365756

Is that new , as in it being the HD version of CH4 ? Was it the standard definition version of CH4 that was on Sky Go up to now ?

eguiney

The Irish Times has an interview with the chief executive of Sky Ireland about the launch of Sky Glass in Ireland in August.

It mentions that BBC on-demand content will be available on Sky Glass, although it will be "similar to iPlayer" rather than the full thing.

They also have a new deal with RTE to extend catch-up to 30 days and include programme restart on Sky Glass.

There is no mention of whether similar changes will come to Sky Q.

https://www.irishtimes.com/business/2022/07/27/ditching-the-dish-sky-ireland-chief-on-future-of-tv-as-sky-glass-goes-on-sale/

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119393032#Comment_119393032

Thats behind a paywall,any chance you could copy and paste here?

icdg

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119393510#Comment_119393510

No we can’t, to do so is breach of copyright. Automatic 48 hour ban to anyone who does so in spite of this warning.

The summary version though is that Sky Glass is going on sale here on August 25th and, of particular relevance to this thread, there’ll be a BBC app similar to iPlayer here. This is very important because Sky Stream (the service underlying Glass) doesn’t allow recording on channels that have an on demand feature. It’s interesting because it’s the first time the BBC has allowed access to on demand in Ireland, and if one deal can be done, surely others can be in the future.

twinklerunner

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119370277#Comment_119370277

I don't know for sure, but I think it used to carry the Irish SD version previously - with Irish adverts, etc.

Acosta

For Sky customers, BBC on demand has been available for a while now, but with a limited choice of programs. I had a look the other day and noticed that pretty much everything appears to be available now. At least anything I could think of.

fman

Some of the bigger dramas don't appear. For example at the moment I haven't seen Vigil appear in catch up. I don't think the Gold ever appeared either.

RoTelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121516045#Comment_121516045

Some of the bigger drama maybe coming to RTÉ. They have a major content agreement with BBC Studios.... however Vigil is produced by world Production an ITV Studio company ... which should mean that its goes to Virgin Media TV.

The Gold is Tannadice Pictures which brings me to All3 media which is WB Discovery and ... Liberty Global owners of Virgin Media TV... however that show looks like it is available in Ireland on Paramount +.