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There have been murmurings about this for a while now, but it's now even more confirmed that the BBC will be making the iPlayer internationally available. Meaning that American fans of such shows as Doctor Who and the like will be able to stream them legitimately over the internet rather than obtain them by dubious means.
Apparently, they still haven't decided whether it's going to be pay or advertising supported. I'm highly dubious of this business about, "It is thought web users would pay up to $10 to view an episode." I've seen that figure thrown around before (in an article about sales of BBC shows through iTunes), and I don't buy it. If I spent $10/ep to stream Doctor Who over the internet, I'd be paying twice the retail price of the Blu-ray box set that I'll eventually buy after the season is over, which doesn't really seem worth it. On the other hand, if we're talking about purchasing a high-quality digital download that can be watched on a bunch of devices...$10 still seems like a stretch. $5 maybe.
What I'd really like is to be able to pay a monthly subscription fee (of say, $10 to $20 a month) and be able to stream whatever I liked. ($20/month at current exchange rates works out almost exactly to the current colour TV license fee, so that's arguably a fair price.)
Apparently, they still haven't decided whether it's going to be pay or advertising supported. I'm highly dubious of this business about, "It is thought web users would pay up to $10 to view an episode." I've seen that figure thrown around before (in an article about sales of BBC shows through iTunes), and I don't buy it. If I spent $10/ep to stream Doctor Who over the internet, I'd be paying twice the retail price of the Blu-ray box set that I'll eventually buy after the season is over, which doesn't really seem worth it. On the other hand, if we're talking about purchasing a high-quality digital download that can be watched on a bunch of devices...$10 still seems like a stretch. $5 maybe.
What I'd really like is to be able to pay a monthly subscription fee (of say, $10 to $20 a month) and be able to stream whatever I liked. ($20/month at current exchange rates works out almost exactly to the current colour TV license fee, so that's arguably a fair price.)
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